Learning to Kneel
by Sneaky Snarky Subs
Summary: Bella finds herself ripped from her everyday life and specially selected and sold to Jasper Whitlock. Will she give in to him and his dark world in every way imaginable? Or will she resist and try to get back to her own? A/H Dark/Dominant/OOC
1. The Road Not Taken

**Author's Note: Here it is! Our newest Story! :)**

**Warning: This story will contain adult type situations and non consensual BDSM and M/s relationships. It will be dark and gloomy but we will always pull you through to see the light...eventually :) **

**Updates: Will not be on a set schedule. Hopefully we can get one out every week or every two weeks. **

**Disclaimer: We obviously do not own...but we do like to have our fun. **

"_Invisible chains are those which weigh the most heavily."_

_-Page 9 Tribesmen of Gor_

**BPOV**

I checked the clock as I threw my books in my bag. It wasn't quite five in the morning, perfect timing to go hit the park for a run and finish up with some toning at the gym. I hated treadmills, preferring the fresh air and changing scenery rather than staring at a blank wall. Also, I could use the shower there instead of having to come back home.

I picked up my plastic bag of work clothes and my book bag, collecting my keys from the side table next to the door and made my way out. I locked up, testing the knob once or twice before heading on down the sidewalk. I made it to my truck before I realized I'd forgotten my keycard to get into work. Again.

I sighed and put my stuff into my truck. Jake had fixed it completely before I moved here as a graduation present. Now it could actually do almost 80 and was neighborhood friendly. Unless something happened to it, I didn't have to worry about the neighbors calling the cops on me for a 'disturbing the peace' charge.

I tossed my stuff in, relocked it and went back into my apartment for the keycard. Instead of playing hide and seek with my keys in the morning, I played it with my keycard. I always walked out without it. I was determined to break the cycle one day.

I unlocked the door and went back in, trying to remember where I'd taken it off at. I went through the entire place, retracing my steps until I came to the laundry room. When I walked in, I immediately spotted it dangling from the shelf above the washer and dryer. Apparently I clipped it there when I took my clothes off to make a full load of laundry last night.

I snatched it and grabbed a granola bar on my way back out. I locked back up and ran on out to the truck, headed to a park not too far away. The radio played softly as I slowly chewed my granola bar, going over my 'to do' list in my mind.

I pulled up and parked in the empty lot. Charlie hated that I ran by myself so early. He said it left me open to all sorts of bad opportunities. So, he gifted me with a can of pepper spray. How I was supposed to run with it, I hadn't figured out yet. Maybe I could use it sorta like a baton that runners had to carry for their portion of a triathlon.

I was afraid I'd hit the button on it and end up spraying myself with it though, so it stayed in my purse. I had also thought about getting a stun gun but again the same problem arose. I supposed I could get a fanny pack but I really detested that idea. I'd think more on it later.

I got out and made my customary three laps, totaling approximately three miles before heading off to the gym to complete my morning routine of toning and taking a shower. I checked myself out in the full length mirror, satisfied with the simple outfit of fitted black trousers and a blue short sleeved tunic.

It was a Friday, my easiest day of the week. I only had one class right before lunch and then I worked in the Dean's office as his 'personal secretary' the rest of the day. It was a really easy job. His full time receptionist took care of most of the details, I just picked up smaller errands and 'to do' items. When I wasn't busy with that, I was either reading or doing homework.

I got some brunch after I got on campus so my stomach wouldn't be grumbling throughout my Public Service Ethics class. Although the grumbling would probably help serve to keep me awake. I picked a shady spot out in the quad and ate my breakfast burrito.

I made notes in my little planner notebook about the things I'd need to buy tonight to get all my deep cleaning done this weekend along with noting what exactly I needed to clean. I always hated going on a spree then putting everything up only to realize I'd forgotten something. I also made a note to call Mike on my way to the Dean's office to let him know I wasn't available for the weekend. If he came over I'd never get anything done. He'd be tempting me to go out to the movies, dinner, or even to go up to Tonto National Forest for the day.

I glanced at my watch and sighed. Might as well get this over with. I checked and made sure I had everything before heading off to class. For some reason, I just couldn't get thrilled about attending my ethics class. I took diligent notes and even recorded it, but I still had time to doodle on a separate sheet of paper until the three hours were blessedly over.

As soon as I made it outside I got my phone out and sent Mike a text.

_**Gonna be deep cleaning this weekend, don't be factoring me into any plans. Xoxo Bells.**_

I would have called him, but I didn't want to have to fight giving into temptation of him luring me away from things I needed to do. It was seconds later that I received a reply.

_**Aww Bells, don't be like that. I was thinking we could go on a picnic ;)**_

And there it was. I huffed quietly and decided to just not respond. The less communication there was, the less ammunition I could inadvertently give him and the less of a chance I would give in.

I turned my phone off and used my keycard to get into the Dean's building through the side entrance. I clocked myself in and headed on up.

His office was neat, but he had stuff everywhere. Books, files, gadgets, items from past vacations or adventures. I liked to look at them, without touching of course and from time to time he'd tell me the back-story on whatever particular piece I was marveling over. He'd get bored and rotate things out often, which gave me new things to look at and more stories to hear.

I could tell it was going to be boring when he asked me to go pick up his dry cleaning and some lunch for us when I first got there. I did as he asked, going just a few blocks away to pick up his tuxedo he'd recently worn for a charity function. I stopped by a Mexican restaurant on the way back and picked up his favorite along with something for me and the receptionist as well.

We ate quietly when I returned. He looking over his planner and coordinating his schedule to his liking while I read through my ethics text, scanning for passages to include in my upcoming paper. After I was done coloring in my book with highlighters to make my task easier, I got out a blank piece of paper and started jotting down various things I'd need for my cleaning excursion.

Four o'clock came quickly today. After packing my books away, I bid the Dean a good weekend and he to me as I headed down to clock out. Stepping outside was like stepping into a heat wave. I loved the heat but after I went to Forks I adapted to the much cooler weather. Now that I was back here, I didn't quite love it as much as I used to.

I pondered over what else I need to get while I was out, not wanting to leave again once I got started. The store was packed, of course, due to it being the time that a lot of people got off work. There was no real rush, I'd be waiting in a long ass line anyway. I languidly made my way up and down the aisles, picking up items I needed as well as snacks and other various food items to last me the weekend.

Trudging towards the front, I went over my stuff with careful eyes. When I was satisfied, I secured a place in line. It was such a boring process that I repeated constantly. Sometimes I felt that my entire life was in serious need of an intervention. I got up, worked out, went to class, did my little side job, saw Mike, cleaned the house, did homework. A constant wash rinse repeat. I hoped once I graduated in little over a year things would liven up some. Once I had a real job, I could hopefully create a new routine.

When I got home I unloaded my bounty, put away what needed to be refrigerated or frozen. Then I lined up all my supplies on the dining room table for easy access and began my OCD deep cleaning spree, shooting texts back and forth with Mike. He did show up once Saturday night with a big to go platter of mushroom ravioli, Italian breadsticks and a bottle of wine. He even helped me rearrange a few things. After finishing up on Sunday evening I did my homework and finished up with my nightly routine.

Stepping out of my house I turned around to lock my door before heading towards my truck. As soon as I was buckled in I realized that I had forgotten my keycard for work. Again.  
Sighing I got back out of the truck and ran up the steps to grab what I needed. As soon as the door was unlocked I quickly stepped inside ready to do a quick sweep of my apartment to find the damn keycard.

Before I could register anything a white cloth was brought swiftly over my mouth and nose by a large hand. I was slammed back against a solid body and was pinned against them with their left arm. I involuntarily gasped and I knew as soon as I smelled the sweet, almost antiseptic scent that the rag had been doused with chloroform.

My body went limp of it's own accord and my vision started to fade to black. Before the darkness could take over I heard a male, heavily accented voice whisper into my ear," That's right, relax mi preciosa. Usted es el que hemos estado esperando." And with that I finally surrendered to the darkness that was beckoning to me. 

~~~~~...~~~~~

**Translations:**

mi preciosa: My precious

Usted es el que hemos estado esperando: You are the one we have been waiting for


	2. Anticipation of the Bang

**Author's Note: Thank you for all the Reviews and Alerts! We do want to apologize for any Spanish within this chapter that is not correct. Spanish is not a language we are familiar with. If you do know it though and are willing to help us with the translating that would be much appreciated! :) **

**Disclaimer: We do not own anything.**

"_There is no terror in the bang...only in the anticipation of it."_

_Alfred Hitchcock_

BPOV

"_Oh come on Bella, where's your sense of adventure?"_

"_At home. Where we should be." I grumbled._

"_Nah, don't you want to get out and see the world with your old man before you begin your new life?"_

"_Couldn't we just order the Traveling Channel and experience the world from the comfort of our living room?" I asked moodily._

"_Where's the fun in that?" My dad asked as if appalled that I would even suggest such a thing._

"_The fun is that we don't have to drive nineteen hours."_

_As my dad and I traveled the world, as he liked to call it, I was fighting car sickness the entire time. The bumps of the road not helping my situation any._

"No dad."

Bump

"I want to go home. I don't want to travel."

Bump

"I'll buy the damn channel myself."

Snort

"Jesus Stefan, how much chloroform did you use on that rag?" I heard the one voice question, almost worriedly.

"Not enough for hallucinations!" The other declared defensively.

"You better hope you didn't cause permanent damage. The Boss won't be happy with you if you did." The first voice warned.

I could hear the gravelly voices but it sounded like they were coming from a tunnel. Who was Stefan? Who was having hallucinations? Who was this Boss character?

Without ever opening my eyes I fell back into the slumber once more, not knowing where I was or what was happening to me. Was I dreaming or was this real? I couldn't tell you.

"_Dad. I think you need to pull over." I warned, feeling my stomach give a warning roll._

"_Bells, we're in the middle of the road." Charlie said shocked looking over at me quickly._

"_I'm going to be sick." I said covering my mouth trying to hold in my sickness as long as possible._

_I never made it until he pulled over though. It was then that we learned that long car rides and me did not mix._

I woke up instantly with the feeling of nausea about to erupt from inside of me.

"I'm going to be sick." I said out loud, the same way I said it to Charlie not so long ago.

I didn't notice my surroundings, my only goal at the moment was to not throw up all over myself and where I was sitting.

"Shit Vladmir! Pull over!" Another man demanded, looking back at me.

I flew off to the side, crashing into a carpeted bench type thing as the van, or whatever I was in, swerved to the side of the road.

"Omph." I said shocked at the impact.

A good thing about it though was that it made me forget that I was about to be violently ill. The bad thing was that my nausea came back in ten fold.

Before I could make a move to sit up the back doors to the van were swung wide open revealing a tall, dark and very tanned skin man. He had black hair and if I could have seen his eyes I bet that they would have matched his hair.

"Prisa!" Vladmir exclaimed beckoning me towards him, "I don't need you getting sick in here!"

I quickly did as he asked and scrambled towards him on my hands and knees, ignoring the shooting pains that were coursing down my arm where I hit the bench. As soon as my feet hit the ground I dropped to my knees and was sick all over the pavement of the road.

I couldn't hear anything besides the roaring in my ears and I wasn't focused enough to even try. Instead I coughed and I sputtered and I vomited until I was positive there was nothing left in my stomach to come up. I sat back on my bottom with my back leaning against the van and put my head in between my knees to try to stop everything from spinning.

"¿Estas bien preciosa?" I heard an accented voice ask.

Actually it was that same accented voice that I heard just before I passed out! It was him! My kidnapper! Well, one of them at least.

My head shot up of its own accord and I groaned as the waves of vertigo hit me.

"I don't speak Spanish." I said closing my eyes and rubbing my temples.

"My apologies Miss Isabella," He said in his heavy accent, "Are you alright?"

"Do I look alright?" I asked still not moving in fear of getting sick again.

"Vladmir," I heard the other man say, "Nos hacen con esto. Necesitamos conseguir detras en el camino."

I wouldn't admit it out loud, especially to them, but them speaking in another language that I did not understand freaked me out. It was one thing to know what was coming and to expect it; it was a completely different thing to not have any sort of clue though.

"Miss Isabella, do you think you can stand?" The one called Vladmir asked as he came over to me.

"I-I think so." I said picking up my head slowly in effort to avoid further discomfort.

Looking around I saw that it was night time out and we were on what looked like to be an abandoned country road. There were no street lamps and no neighboring houses that I could see. It was just the three of us.

I shivered involuntarily at the thought of me being alone with two strange men which kidnapped me no less. But what was scarier was that I knew that even if I tried to run I had nowhere to go. I would probably die out here before I would die with them, as bad as that sounds.

I managed to climb to my feet with minimal help from Vladmir. He gently helped me climb back into the back of the van before slamming the doors behind me. I vaguely registered the sound of locks clicking into place from there and it was those little sounds that sealed my fate. There would be no escaping from the back. There was also no chance of escape from the front either. There was a metal, cage like divider between the front where they were and the padded back area where I was.

Throughout the drive I curled myself into a tight ball as if that would protect me from the evils that I no doubt was about to face. For kidnappers though these guys were either really bad at their job or they just really weren't that bad, but they didn't try to hurt me or anything. They didn't speak to me more than necessary but I was fine with that. They mostly talked to each other in their native tongue or in Spanish, totally ignoring me.

I still had no idea what they were saying but I could pick up words here in there that I remembered from my High School Spanish classes. Words like precious, and girl and money and food. None of these in the same sentence from what I could tell and it wasn't much to go off of but...it was all I had.

As I was sitting in the back fighting against my eyelids I remembered something that caused me to snort humorlessly. I knew that my keycard was going to be the death of me and now here was the proof.

"Nice Bella." I muttered to myself.

Instead of freaking out like any normal person would I am sitting calmly in the back just letting them take me wherever their hearts desire. For all I know they could be taking me to a brothel to make me a sex slave. Or they could make me work the streets selling my body for money and my only installment would be illegal drugs.

Okay, now I was freaking out.

I felt my heart beat increase and my palms began to sweat.

"God dammit! Let me out of here!" I screamed loudly and suddenly.

I was lurched forward as Vladmir slammed on the breaks hitting the wall in front of me that separated me from them.

"Let me out now!" I screamed again, grabbing onto the bars and shaking them ruthlessly.

"Ya te dije que no iba a durar," Vladmir said looking smug to his partner, "You owe me two hundred."

With that he chuckled and continued on driving while the other man got out his wallet from his back pocket.

"Are you listening to me?" I screeched, "Let me go!"

I don't know how long I continued to bang on the bars and scream with everything I had in me but a while later I noticed that my throat was hoarse and scratchy and I had dried tears and hair stuck to my face.

The two, Vladmir and Stefan, ignored my outbursts and did not even look back in my direction once. Which only fueled my anger sending me on another emotional roller coaster ride. Seeing that my behavior was getting me nowhere, I relented to the tears once more and fell back onto the hard floor of the van, whispering one last plea before succumbing to the darkness once again.

The next time I was roused from my restless slumber was when my stomach began to growl ferociously, hitting me with hard stomach pains from lack of food. Instead of acknowledging the hunger instead I curled into myself into a ball on the ground and willed it desperately to go away. I had a feeling that hunger would be the least of my problems for a very long time.

It was now lighter inside the van and I knew that it must be daytime outside. I didn't know how long we had been driving for or where we were going or what was to become of me.

To my surprise a little while later the van came to a stop and I could hear my captives leaving the van. I sat up and saw that we were at a gas station. A Texaco to be exact. But where? Were we still in Phoenix? Were we even in Arizona? I was starting to doubt it.

I snapped my head to the back of the van as I heard the rattling of the chains.

"Come on mi precioso." Vladmir said looking at me and beckoning with his fingers, "You need to use the bathroom now and get something to eat. We won't be stopping again for another four hours or so."

I blinked against the sun light as he talked but quickly made my way to him to get out of the van. As soon as I stepped out he had a firm grip on my upper arm while Stefan flanked behind us. Looking around I saw that gas station was completely deserted. Not a car in sight. What kind of gas station was this? I mused to myself.

"Stefan will go with you while I get you some food." He whispered into my ear before we walked inside, "If you try something funny I will not hesitate to put you back out." He threatened, Entienda?"

"I understand." I whispered looking into his dark, menacing eyes.

"Bien." He said motioning for Stefan to come forward with a jolt of his head.

At that moment I was transferred to Stefan who, like Vladmir, grabbed my arm in his while he led me to the bathroom at the back of the store. We came to the door with a picture of a female on it and I walked forward to step inside. I was still in shock but right now the only thought going through my head was that there had to be a way I could escape or leave some kind of clue in here as soon as I was alone.

I was brought out of my escape plans by Stefan who yanked me back into his chest roughly.

"You think I am going to let you go in there alone?" He hissed in my ear giving me the goosebumps, "I think not."

And with that he pushed me forward, still gripping my arm and walking me into the bathroom. He shut the door behind us and locked it and I had never been more scared before than I was in that direct moment.

I was alone with a crazy man and I had no idea what his intentions were. He could rape me right now and there would be nothing that I could do about it.

"What are you staring at?" He barked, "Go to the bathroom so we can leave."

I stood there in shock for another moment before I could feel my face heating up in a blush from not only embarrassment but from anger as well.

"I am not going to use the restroom with you in here!" I cried in shock.

"You go now," He threatened taking a step towards me, "Or you don't." He continued on with his steps until I was almost pressed against the back wall, "If you don't go now then you go on yourself later."

Staring at him for a few more seconds I realized that he wasn't playing and that this really was my only option...and I desperately needed to go.

"Can you at least turn around?" I asked him coldly.

To my surprise he chuckled and shook his head, "Oh no," He said with a wicked gleam in his eye, "I think I am going to enjoy this."

I sighed out heavily through my mouth and willed myself not to cry. It wasn't going to help me any in this situation and I realized how hopeless this really was. There was no chance of escaping now or even leaving a clue or a trail. Not while he was in here with me watching my every move.

I kept my eyes trained on his while I maneuvered my pants down below my hips, hunching forward so that he didn't get a glimpse of more than what he was already going to see. I looked down carefully to make sure nothing was showing and heard him chuckle again, igniting some kind of fire deep inside my belly. I wanted to hit him. Hard.

I sat there for a few minutes and realized that no matter how badly I needed to go it wasn't going to happen with an audience.

"I can't go." I whispered.

"Then you are not going to go at all." He said stepping forward.

"No no no!" I shrieked desperate, "Can you turn around so that I can go? Please?" I begged, tears threatening to spill over at any moment.

With a shake of his head he resumed his position with his back on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

I kept my eyes trained on his once again as I willed myself to just go. As my bladder finally cooperated with my silent pleas Stefan's smile just grew wider.

When I was done I quickly pulled up my pants and flushed the toilet. I finished washing my hands and Stefan grabbed my arm once again leading me out of the restroom.

"That wasn't so hard now was it?" He asked in a taunting manner.

I didn't answer him. Instead I cried silently, knowing that little by little they were breaking me. Breaking my spirit and taking away my sanity.

Walking up to the counter I saw that Vladmir had gotten a few sandwiches and bags of chips and soda. As the young, teenaged clerk continued to stare at me, I watched Vladmir pass him what looked like to be a wad of cash and whisper something harshly to him. The young clerk just nodded and looked away. I could only suspect that Vladmir threatened him and then paid him off to forget about us. Forget that he ever saw me. And judging by the greedy look in his eye he was going to do just that.

As soon as everything was paid for Stefan forced me into the back of the van once more and locked it from the outside. I was given a sandwich, a bag of chips and a cold coke and told to take it easy because there would be no more stops for a while.

The rest of the ride was spent with my kidnappers speaking in rapid Spanish to one another with me trying to catch whatever I could from the conversation. I occasionally tried to yell and scream and hit things but to no avail. The two men did not speak another word to me and after all the emotions and what not catching up with me it wasn't long until I finally just laid down and waited for the darkness to call upon me once again.

~~~~~...~~~~~

We made about three more pit stops and I knew that we were nowhere near Phoenix any longer. Vladmir and Stefan took turns driving and they drove through the night. Each gas and restroom stop that we made went just like the very first one. I was never left alone and each gas station was practically vacant. There were no people around in each one and it was...odd. It wasn't normal.

I didn't know how long we were on the road for but I was in desperate need of a shower. The most I was able to do was wash up and brush my teeth in the bathroom sinks of the places where we stopped, but it wasn't enough to make me feel entirely clean.

"Rise and shine mi precioso."

Mmmmm.

"Rápidamente! You do not want to keep su Amo waiting now."

I opened my eyes only to quickly shut them against the light that flooded the van. I blinked against the light for a few more seconds before being roughly pulled from the van by one of my kidnappers.

When did I fall asleep again? It seemed like that was all I had been doing for the past God knows how many days. And what the hell was a su Amo? Dammit, why didn't I pay closer attention in Spanish class?

Stepping out of the van I saw that we were parked in front of a three story white brick building. I immediately noticed the heat that permeated the air around me and it made it hard to breathe. No we were definitely not in Phoenix any longer. The question was, where was I?

My hands were forced behind my back and I felt a pair of handcuffs being slapped onto my wrists. I struggled against whomever it was binding me but it only caused them to chuckle darkly. I didn't have any strength compared to them.

Looking around I saw that there a few other men I didn't recognize standing around us as if they were guarding us from something.

"Get her in. Now!" One of them yelled, looking around nervously.

Suddenly I was pushed forward so that I stumbled, and I would have fallen if it weren't for someone grabbing my waist and hoisting me back up on my feet. I was led into the building and at first glance the inside looked like it was just an abandoned building. We walked into this huge lobby type thing where there was nothing but white. White walls, white tiled floors, white desks scattered around. What was this place?

"This is the Auction Block." Stefan whispered into my ear causing me to jump and let out a startled yelp, "You will not be staying here though. You have already been paid for."

"Paid for?" I said furiously, looking over to him incredulously.

He continued pushing me forward until we came to a bright, polished set of elevator doors, acting like I hadn't spoken to him.

"Si chica," He said, pushing the down button, "You have been bought and paid for. Like a pure bred bitch."

With that he forced me into the elevator with Vladmir following in closely behind us.

"Juego agradable," Vladmir said sharply glaring at Stefan before turning to me, "Everything will be explained to you inside Miss Isabella." He said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Wait just a minute!" I yelled, struggling against the stupid cuffs, "I am a person. A human being! You can't buy me! It's against the law! Who in the hell do you think you are? Wait until my father gets his hands on you," I threatened, "You've taken the wrong person."

"Está equivocas," Stefan chuckled, "We have the right person, actually."

I fumed to myself for a moment at the thought of being bought and paid for like an item before the reality hit me. I was right. I was being sold as a sex slave. I felt the blood drain from my face and right as the elevator doors opened the darkness took over once again.

~~~~~...~~~~~

"I thought you two were supposed to bring her back in one piece. Not knocked out." This voice was different. It was very feminine.

"Cierre la boca! She passed out on her own." I could imagine Stefan scowling as he gave his explanation.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with her while she's like this? We don't have enough time." Frustration laced her tone.

"Mira, she's coming around now. Stefan, get some water."

I groaned and grabbed my head, keeping my eyes shut, Stefan's words reverberating through my brain; _you have been bought and paid for_. I willed myself not to throw up, _like a pure bred bitch_. Too late. I barely turned over on my side as my stomach was emptied of its contents.

I could faintly hear noises in the background but they were quickly drowned out by the roaring in my ears.

_We have the right person_. They were wrong. I wasn't who they were looking for. Why would they want me? I was plain! I was boring. I was a nineteen year old virgin! And suddenly it was like a light bulb was switched on in my head. I was a virgin. Didn't virgins sell better or some shit like that? No, but wait- how would they know that I was a virgin? They couldn't. Even if they had been watching me it wasn't like I publicly broadcast that I was a virgin.

"Oh yea, she's a keeper." I heard the female voice say sarcastically.

"Whatever she is, she's your problem now. Clean her up and get her ready. We'll be back in half an hour." Vladmir commanded with agitation.

I vaguely registered that somewhere a door was slamming and then the silence engulfed me. Oddly enough the silence scared me more than anything that had happened to me so far. It was kind of like the dark. You never knew what was hiding in the dark. Add in the silence and the dark together and you have a lethal combination. One I hoped that I would never have to experience again.

"Come on. I need you to get up. We don't have much time." A voice said hurriedly.

I felt her snake her arm around my waist lifting me up slightly so that I was at least in a sitting position on the floor.

"There you go. Can you walk?" She asked.

Could I walk? Possibly. Would I walk? Probably not. What was the point? I had been purchased. Why in the hell should I cooperate any further? A part of me didn't fight as hard before hoping that somehow I would be released or taken pity on or something, but when Stefan said that I had already been sold...well it changed my entire outlook on the situation. I was nothing more than a sex slave, of that I was almost positive now. Either way I was not going to get out of this predicament alive. Not emotionally at least. Even if I did manage to survive physically, I would be dead inside. Living the life of a slave? That was no life at all. I would rather die now and get it over with.

"Please," She begged when I didn't move, "You will get me in trouble."

She would get in trouble for my lack of obedience? Where was the logic in that? Actually, where was the logic in any of this? You can't legally purchase humans! I opened my eyes to see that we were in a brightly lit room. Alone. There was a red couch behind me and a table and vanity to the left. But that was it. I looked to the door and saw that it was closed but that didn't mean anything right? We could leave out the door!

"It's locked from the outside," She whispered. I turned and faced the girl that was supposed to "get me ready" and saw that she had tears in her eyes, "That and there are three men waiting just beyond it to make sure that you don't escape. You are very valuable."

Valuable. What an odd word. To be valuable meant that you had to have some sort of value to you. I had no such thing.

"Now I must get you ready. Please get up." She begged once again.

I nodded my head and stood slowly wiping my mouth on the sleeve of my shirt. I had an after taste that was just making me more nauseous. I let the unknown girl lead me over to the table and complied as she gently pushed on my shoulders to get me to sit down into the chair. I faced the mirror and almost didn't recognize the girl staring back at me. She had long dull, lifeless brown hair with dead brown eyes that had deep bruising underneath them. Her shirt hung off her shoulders like it didn't fit properly but what scared me the most was that she looked defeated.

And she was me.

"My name is Makenna, by the way." The girl said from behind me as she brushed through my dead hair.

"Bella." I whispered.

"I have a little advice for you, Bella," She said gently brushing through the knots on my head, "You won't like it and probably won't follow it but I'm going to give it anyway. Don't fight your situation so much. When I was first taken from my family in Ukraine, I was beaten, raped and many many other terrible things because I kept trying to escape and I fought my captors tooth and nail. Life was horrendous. Had I just been obedient, things would have went smoother. Instead they started watching me closer, expecting me to escape, preparing for things I did."

Throughout the time she was talking she never broke eye contact with me as we stared at one another in the mirror. I could see the tears that she wanted to shed pricking at the corners of her eyes but she never let them fall. Her deep brown eyes held wisdom and courage beyond her years and I knew that even if we never saw each other again we had formed a friendship. A comradeship because of our situations.

"I'm not saying give up hope for home, but just, realize your situation for what it is at the moment." She said softly setting the brush down.

"You mean hopeless." I whispered as she stood me up and led me to the back of the room.

She didn't answer me, but she didn't need to. Her silence spoke volumes.

She brought me into a separate room that was no bigger than a closet. Inside there was a basin filled with water and a towel and a dress hanging up to the right.

"What's this?" I asked her.

"I'm going to get you cleaned up now," She said softly, "Let's get you out of these clothes."

I stood there not moving as she slowly peeled off the grimy clothes that hung loosely from my body. Even I could tell that I lost weight in that little bit of time. I was on auto pilot as she led me over to the red ceramic basin and guided me into it. It was like I was watching this from another perspective. Not my own. I sat with my knees tucked into my chest as she washed my hair for me, getting it clean. I looked down, startled to see her handing me a razor. When did she finish washing my hair? Better yet, why was she handing me a razor? I could do all sorts of things with that..

"You need to shave everything." She instructed gently, breaking me out of those thoughts.

Modesty was now out the window and I was oddly not embarrassed about it. To be embarrassed would mean to care and I wasn't sure that I really cared about anything anymore right now. I took the razor from her gently and did as she instructed.

Once that was done she took the razor from me and set it off to the side. I grasped her hand as she helped me out of the basin and stood shivering in the cold room as she brought over the towel. I wrapped it around my shoulders thankful for the slight warmth that it brought it me.

Before I knew it Makenna was back in front of me, holding out a white lace bra and white pair of cotton bikini underwear. I hastily grabbed them from her thankful for not only clean undergarments but for something to finally cover up with.

As soon as I was dressed in them she grabbed the dress that was hanging up and handed it to me without saying a word. I silently took it from her and put it over my head, shimmying it down my body. It fell to just above my knees and it was actually very comfortable. It was a white, spaghetti strapped sun dress with blue flowered designs decorating it.

I fingered the material as she led me back over to the mirror, grabbing the brush in her hands once again.

No other words were spoken between us as she worked on my hair. I watched her through the mirror as she blow dried it and then attacked it with a curling iron. When she was finished I had huge banana curls cascading down my back. They were beautiful. I was surprised when she pulled out a hair tie and proceeded to put my hair into a high pony tail, but the end result was worth it. My hair had never looked so pretty before and for a moment I was giddy with how I looked. That emotion quickly turned into disgust and nausea as I remembered that the only reason for this was so that I would look more appealing to my new "Owner". This was all a guise to add to my "value" and I was thoroughly disgusted.

"You are ready, Bella." She whispered, smiling sadly at my reflection in the mirror.

My body may have been ready but my mind was far from it. I remained barefoot as she led us over to the front door, turning suddenly to face me, her eyes wide with panic.

"Remember my words, Bella," She whispered, "You will get through this if you obey. Survive Bella!" She said grabbing my hands in hers and squeezing tightly to help reinforce her pleas.

Then she knocked three times on the door.

~~~~~...~~~~~

"The Boss is a lucky man." Vladmir said looking me up and down with dark eyes.

Stefan reached out his hand as if to touch my face but Vladmir quickly slapped his hand away, which I was thankful for.

"You. Do. Not. Touch." He hissed into his face, anger dripping from his words.

Vladmir quickly grabbed my arm and led me from the room and back outside in the hot, muggy air. I didn't see much as they shoved me back into the back of the van and I instantly regretted not asking Makenna more questions. I missed my opportunity to find out just where I was, among other things. She may have been my only hope for refuge and I blew it.

I sat quietly in the back this time, just staring at the back wall. What was left for me to do? What else could I do? I played with the hem of my dress praying for either a meteor to come and hit us and diminish us all or for the Cops to stop the van in a raid and find and save me. One thing was for certain, death would be my first choice over losing my virginity unwillingly. I shuddered involuntarily, feeling dirty instantly at the thought despite my freshly washed skin and hair.

My eyes widened as the van came to a stop and the chattering up front ceased. That could only mean one thing. We reached our destination.

"Come on mi preciosa," Vladmir said opening the back doors for me once again, "We don't want to keep him waiting."

I ignored his hand and stepped out of the van by myself only to misstep somehow. I tumbled forward expecting to hit the ground, instead I was caught around my middle then placed gently on my feet on the sturdy ground.

"Stubborn girl." He hissed shaking his head, "You would be wise to cut that out early."

I ignored him and yanked my arm out of his grasp only for him to grab me right back.

"Let's go." He said pulling me forward.

I looked up to see where we were and gasped out loud. We were in front of this mansion with a wrought iron gate surrounding it. The entire house was this cream color and there was a balcony going from one end of the mansion to the other. Who ever lived here was filthy rich.

"This is your new home, Miss Isabella." Vladmir said smirking at the look of awe on my face.

Oh fuck! Whoever owned this mansion was the one that "bought" me. I followed Vladmir aimlessly, letting him lead me. I was much, much too intrigued with my surroundings to bother to look where I was going. There was a rattling clang that vibrated through the air and I realized that it was the gate shutting behind us. How was I supposed to get out of here with that caging me in like an animal? It was too tall to jump and with my luck it was electric.

Vladmir led us up the white stone steps until we reached the oak door, ringing the door bell that was off to the side. As Vladmir stepped back, he came and flanked my right while Stefan came around and did the same to my left so that we were all shoulder to shoulder.

A few moments later the door was opened by another tall, dark skinned man who didn't say a word. Instead he stepped back and nodded to Vladmir.

Again, Vladmir led us inside, keeping a firm grip on my arm. I knew that by tomorrow I was going to have fingerprint bruises scattered across the tops of my arms. He didn't give me a chance to look around the place as he drug me straight ahead and up a elegant looking staircase. Watching my feet so that I didn't trip I didn't get to see anything but the floor as he led us upstairs.

As soon as we were at the top I looked up and saw paintings along the hallway. There were pictures of fruit, of people, of women and children... Even animals. And they all were beautiful and looked extremely expensive. Which I'm sure they were, seeing as where we were right now.

Vladmir stopped short so suddenly that I almost ran into his back since I was not paying attention. I took my eyes away from the paintings and saw that we were standing before another door. Again Vladmir knocked three times only this time he was met with a sharp, "Come in."

Vladmir turned to me one last time and straightened up my dress and pushed a strand of hair to the back of my head looking a little nervous, "Your new Master." He whispered gesturing his head towards the door.

I'm sure I resembled a fish as he what he said clicked into my brain, but before I could reply he was opening the door and guiding us through. Stefan made sure to back off slightly being careful not to touch me as we entered the room.

My legs felt like jello and I could hardly walk straight, much less stand on my own two feet. Everything was so new and I was trying to take in everything at once. Charlie, my dad, always said to remember your surroundings in clear detail just in case something happened and you need to recall on it. Thinking about my dad brought a lump to my throat but I quickly swallowed it. I was about to meet the person who thought he had the right to purchase me and I was not going to show him weakness. Damn what Makenna said. I was _not_ going to be someone's bitch.

Looking around the room it looked like we were in an office. There were darkly stained bookshelves lining the wall and leather chairs set up around the room, though Vladmir didn't lead us to any. Instead he brought us directly in front of a large mahogany desk that had bear claws at the bottom. Following the desk up with my eyes, I stilled at the site before me.

There in all his glory was "The Boss" that my kidnappers referred to repeatedly on the trip here. But he wasn't like anything that I expected. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't what I was seeing. There in front of me was a tall blonde man with piercing blue eyes that looked like they could see right through me. I immediately felt vulnerable and I could feel my face heating up in a blush. He was wearing what looked to be an expensive cream colored suit that fit his body perfectly. Even through his clothing I could see the muscle definition that he had and it made me feel small compared to him. He had curly blond hair but what was the most surprising was that he didn't look old. Not old enough to own a place like this at least. He couldn't have been more than thirty.

Looking back up his eyes caught mine and I was immediately drawn into their depths, not able to utter a single word.

I watched as he stepped out from behind his desk not once breaking eye contact with me. His eyes went hard as he saw that I kept his gaze and I could have sworn that his eye color darkened. I felt rather than saw Vladmir and Stefan back up so that I was standing in the middle of the room by myself. When he was directly in front of me I realized that he was taller than I thought. He absolutely towered over me.

We stood there for I don't know how long, him staring intently at me, and me trying to remember how to breathe when he broke the silence with one demanding word.

"Kneel."

**~~~~~...~~~~~~**

**Translations:**

Prisa- Hurry

¿Estas bien preciosa?- Are you alright precious?

Nos hacen con esto. Necesitamos conseguir detras en el camino- We are done with this. We need to get back on the road.

Ya te dije que no iba a durar- I told you it would not last.

Bien- Good

Rápidamente- Quickly

Su Amo- Your Master

Si chica- Yes girl

Juego agradable- Play nicely

Está equivocas- You are wrong

Cierre la boca- Shut your mouth


	3. Kneeling With Pride, Yeah Right

Disclaimer: We don't own, we just puppeteer and fantasize.

A/N: We thank you so, so much for each and every review, favorite and follow. It makes the time we put into this extremely worth it. Oh, we have a surprise for reviews in the bottom A/N! Check it out when you get there! We hope you enjoy the new chapter. :)

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"_Submission without domination is when you keep doing what he wants even after he keeps insisting he doesn't want it. Domination without submission is when he keeps telling you to do something and you keep telling him to fuck off."_

_~Linda_

Kneel? Kneel? Was this guy for real? I wasn't kneeling to him. No way in hell. Not now. Not Ever.

"In your fucking dreams! You don't own me! This isn't pre-Civil War days!" I declared vehemently.

A raging storm swirled behind his eyes. He didn't move a muscle and it was the only way I could tell I'd affected him at all.

"Here's a wake up call, _Sugar_. I do, as a matter of fact, own you. I paid quite the small fortune for you and even have a receipt." He snarled as he grabbed my wrist. I tried to yank it back and when it was apparent that that motion would be futile, I started to fight against him in earnest.

The last straw came when I kicked him in the knee. He buckled, but remained standing. My wrists were suddenly let go but before I had time to move he had me by the throat with one large hand. He forced my chin up with his thumb. I tried to avoid his eyes as I attempted to calm the pounding of my heart.

"Look at me." His quiet, harsh tone demanded. Unwillingly, my eyes rose to meet his and they were all business. "You. Are. Mine. Your very survival depends on me now. You need me in every sense of the word -" My mouth and temper got the better of me, unwisely interrupting him.

"No I don't!" I practically screeched into his face, spewing spittle in my adamant denial. Apparently that was the last straw.

His mouth twisted up in a snarl as he grabbed me roughly by the arm. What the fuck was with guys around here doing that? I was going to be spotted like a cheetah.

"You don't eh? We'll see about that." He growled as he drug me out of his office and down the stairs. I focused on staying upright as I stumbled along beside him, trying my best to match his pace and keep up with him. It was only by the grace of God that no bones were broken by the time we reached the bottom. He didn't stop there though, but marched me on over to the front door.

He flung it open with a loud resounding bang as it bounced off the wall and caused me to flinch. Where was he taking me? To kill me? To torture me? Or worse yet, sell me off? He drug me off the porch and out into his front yard.

He pushed me ahead and let go of my arm abruptly, causing me to stumble and fall. I started to notice how hot the ground beneath my feet really was when my knees, arms and hands came in contact with it. I looked up at him hatefully to see him standing with one hand in his pocket of his slacks and one gesturing towards the gate.

"If you can make it back to civilization, then you've earned your freedom. If not, then you end up back here, with me. If you choose to forfeit now, you can come back inside, get cleaned up, then start your new life without much punishment to be had for this infraction. If you get brought back though, the punishment will not be light. Which do you choose?"

His eyes had a knowing look in them. He knew I would rather attempt the desert than just surrender. I knew there were all sorts of dangers out there. Rattlesnakes, scorpions, spiders, coyotes, scarce water and numerous other factors were stacked against me. I was ill prepared in just my underwear and sundress. I had no shoes, no weapon, no canteen, no nothing.

Still, I would rather face the hot, open desert and all it's dangers than to relent and go back inside with him. He didn't own me, despite what he thought.

"I choose the desert." I said quietly, not breaking eye contact with him. He nodded once with a cocky smirk and barked something out in Spanish. I watched as the gates slid open slowly. He gestured to them.

"Then by all means." His amusement was palpable as he looked me up and down. After his cursory once over, he turned and went back up to the porch, sitting in one of the cushioned chairs and crossing his legs. I took one last look at him before turning and fleeing.

I ran and ran until I couldn't see the mansion when I looked back over my shoulder. Only then did I stop and take stock of things. The earth beneath my feet was scorching hot and I'd never missed my sneakers so much until then. There was lots of scrub brush scattered everywhere and big reddish mesas lined the horizon with the occasional break between them. There was also the occasional desert willow and boulder or rock formation. Cacti like the big Saguaro cactus and prickly pears as well stuck up above the scrub and I could guess as to what region I was in, though I doubted it'd be an accurate estimation.

I knew it was later in the day by the location of the sun and the temperature. I looked at the sun and due to my assumptions, I surmised that I was walking in a Southern direction. I had already come this far, I supposed if I kept walking I'd eventually find somebody or a house or something.

I would stop every little bit and rest in the shade of a tree. A couple of times I heard a familiar rattling sound and made an abrupt turn to go another path. The heat, sun and pain in my feet were overwhelming. The last thing I needed was to get bitten by a rattlesnake. I also kept an eye out for things like the larger spiders and scorpions of the desert. I had enough problems already and didn't need to add to them.

I was sweating so much. My dress was sticking to me as well as my underwear. My feet were blistered on the bottoms and cut open and I could feel the dry dirt digging into the open wounds, just agitating them further. My skin was slowly starting to burn, getting constantly redder. When I could stand being in the sun no longer, nor bear to walk no further due to my feet, I sat in the shade of a small tree. I watched as the sun slowly sank further in the say. I knew I only had about a couple of hours left until sundown and after that I had no plan of action.

In front of me, behind me, off to the sides of me there was nothing but dry, flat desert. No houses, no buildings, nothing. No civilization of any sort. If I looked hard enough I could even see the heat waves rising off the ground. Now I understood why that man said if I made it back to civilization then I earned my freedom...it was because there was no other civilization. I was in the desert with nothing surrounding me but the cacti and the other desert creatures. I was utterly alone.

I sat, curled up, until I finally felt no more of the sun's rays hitting what little skin it could reach. I was thankful that it was getting cooler, but I desperately needed water. My legs were starting to cramp, my stomach was twisting and rolling and I'd gotten a headache a couple of hours ago. I went to stand, only to have vertigo hit me hard and send me back onto my butt.

I clasped my head in my hands, cradling it and praying for the recently started throbbing to stop. My breathing became faster as my heart rate picked up. I felt like I'd started running with the way it was beating. Panic began to flood me. What was happening to me?

Dehydration. The word smacked me in the face. I was so consumed with getting out of there and finding a way to a house or phone or anything that I disregarded the conditions I was under. People died out in the desert all the time because of lack of water. I hadn't even paid attention for a stream or anything.

I tried my best to get up again, only to land flat on my back. I hissed as my burnt skin made contact with the hard, rough ground. I was so dizzy and I wished things would just go back to being stationary instead of spinning.

No. No! I couldn't let it end like this! I had to make it. I just _had_ to! I couldn't go back. I didn't want to think of what punishments awaited me if I failed myself. I rolled to my stomach and got up on my hands and knees by sheer will alone. I began crawling, but didn't make it far. My elbows buckled and my legs gave out, leaving me to smack against the earth again. The next thing I knew, everything went black.

"_I can't believe you're going to do this." a melodic voice said from the left of me._

_I looked to him and his penny hair with emerald jewels for eyes and gave him a sly grin._

"_Why not Cullen? Me and the others down here at La Push do it all the time" A rougher voice interrupted my planned reply from my other side. Well thanks, Jake, for the interruption._

_I was just weeks away from graduating. I hadn't had much excitement in some time. Especially not after Charlie caught Jake and I on our fixed up motorcycles. I heard him grumbling something about dumpsters and fire, but didn't catch the rest. I could have guessed at his disgruntlement though._

I faintly heard the howling and braying of dogs. Dogs? What would dogs be doing in the desert? Unless it was a pack of coyotes.

"_Because!" he gestured wildly out in front of him to emphasize his point "Who knows what's down there!"_

_I put one foot on the edge and leaned over some, looking down to the waves breaking against the cliff facing. I'd wanted to do this for some time now. At first I regretted telling Edward about it, but now it seemed like I made the perfect choice for once._

_It was true, there could be sharks in the water, but I'd never heard of any attacks or anything like that, nor had any of the locals to my knowledge._

_I started backing up several paces. No attention was being paid to me at the moment, which was perfect. Taking off, I flew towards the edge, running right between the two squabbling boys._

My eyes fluttered opened long enough to take in the sight of dusty jeans and even more dusty tan, leather cowboy boots. A small pack of hounds walked around his legs, eyeballing me.

_A scream left my lips from the thrill and excitement of the free fall. It was an amazing experience to know, if only for a moment, how a bird in flight felt. Over my joyous squawks and laughter, I heard them both shout my name at the same time. One in exasperation and the other in shocked panic._

_It was seconds later that I hit the cold water. I wanted to gasp so badly but I knew how stupid that move would have been. I opened my eyes against the salty water and looked to which way the bubbles were floating, following them up. I had almost reached the surface when two other bodies broke through._

_I grabbed onto Edward to try to stop his descent, watching as his eyes flew open in almost panic before recognizing what, or rather, who had a hold of him. We both swam for the surface after I caught sight of Jake heading that way himself._

_We broke the surface, taking in a deep gulp of air. Laughter bubbled forth from me while distressed sounds came from him. After Jake surfaced, we collectively swam to shore. When I said something about doing it again, shouts of 'NO!' and 'Fuck that!' came from either side._

The next time consciousness pulled at me, there was much confusion to be had in my muddled brain. My eyelids felt heavy and I could barely lift my head. There were soft sheets and it was rather cool. I didn't understand. Had something happened? Was I in the hospital again?

The darkness was tempting but I didn't want to give in. Something was direly wrong and I needed to figure out what it was. Fighting hard, I managed to open both eyes. Taking in a warm colored room done in tones of chocolates and reds I knew I wasn't in a hospital but a house.

The temperature of my skin came to my attention next. I was burned, badly, which was probably the reason I was on my stomach. An alarming thing came to light when I went to move some hair from my face. My hands were bound to the bed. I had a little leeway, but not much. In my left hand was an IV.

Things started coming back quickly and I screamed from the instant replay my mind gave me of the past however long it'd been since I'd been abducted. I was in some strange man's house who thought he had ownership of me as if I were a table or chair.

I screamed and screamed and tugged against my bonds despite the sharp pain of my fried skin. A few moments later, I heard footsteps coming my way and the door opened to reveal the blonde haired devil himself in nothing more than a pair of silver silk pajama pants. He picked up something on the way over and the next thing I knew I was tasting cotton from the handkerchief he'd shoved in my mouth to gag me.

"There. That's better." He grumbled as he flopped down in the seat set up next to my bed. I felt him gathering my hair in his hands and tensed at the ideas of what he could be doing. Remaining frozen, I became confused as he put it into a simple twist on the back of my head and secured it with a couple of what I assumed were bobby pins. Then there was the snap of something opening and all of a sudden I felt something ice cold on my back. I squawked against the gag, earning me a sharp slap to my behind and a sharp reprimand of "Hush!"

I silenced myself quickly. I knew I wasn't really in a position to do what I did when I first came into his office, but that knowledge kind of left when his first words to me were 'kneel'. Now I was a little more aware of the position I was in. Naked and covered only by a sheet from the middle of my back down with my hands bound. If I pissed him off, he could do any number of things. I willed my mind not to go down a particular path in order to keep myself from becoming sick.

I remained still as stone as he spread cooling gel across my cooked skin. Admittedly, it was comforting to know he wasn't totally cruel. He could just leave me here to suffer. On the other hand though, there was no telling how much he paid for me. I knew it was no small amount, seeing as the Mob was involved.

The lid snapped back shut when he was done applying whatever it was to me. The sounds of the chair squeaking alerted me to the fact he'd sat back down. I twisted my head where I could peek over my shoulder at him.

He was sitting cross legged with one arm propped on the chair arm, his chin resting on his fist. His other arm rested across his lap as he silently watched me. After he got his thoughts in order, he finally spoke.

"I know you're not just going to up and quit fighting me, but I have a feeling you're not going to try to run away again like that. Look at what happened to you. Third degree sunburns and sun poisoning, not to mention severe dehydration... You will be punished for this, but not until after you heal. After you're back to perfect health, you'll have to earn your bed again as well as other privileges."

Earn my bed again? What was that all about? It made me wonder where he planned on me sleeping. On the couch, at the foot of his bed, or worse yet in his bed with him? I was terrified to find out what he had planned for me. All I knew was that I was stuck. For now at least. He was definitely right on one aspect though, I wasn't ever going to give up. I _would_ get my life back.

I was brought back into the present as he untied my wrists and gently rubbed them, easing out the ache that I hadn't realized was there. I flinched from the contact of his skin to my burn, though it did make my hands feel less tingly. Carefully, he took the IV out shortly after and bandaged it up. He took another slow look at me as I lay there, sprawled out with nothing more than a sheet covering me, before turning and motioning to follow with the crook of his finger. Clutching the sheet, I pulled it around me as I rose from the bed tentatively and followed him. He took me throughout the long hallway and up a set of stairs. He paused at the door before opening it. He only opened it so far, keeping a hold of the handle as he waited for me.

I made to enter the room, but he grabbed my hip and kept me in place by him. It was large and done in a cool color scheme of blues and creams with chocolate accents. A big queen sized canopy bed was to the left of the room next to a huge round window that looked like it had the ability to open like a door. Beside the window was a large highboy and across from the bed was a heavy looking dresser with an enormous mirror. All the pieces matched and were elegantly embossed and engraved with scroll patterns and flowers.

On the other side of the room, closest to us was a sitting area with two chocolate microfiber loveseats facing each other and a small glass and wrought iron coffee table between them. They were situated in a nook with a small fireplace. It was just big enough for everything to fit comfortably.

I could tell he was watching me as I looked around.

"This was supposed to be your room." He said quietly, one hand still on the knob while the other was in his pocket.

"Supposed to be? But why? Why put someone who's supposed to be a slave in a room as nice as this?" I didn't understand at all.

"Because. You are valuable. I spent almost two million dollars for you. People do generally take good care of their valuable possessions. You are no exception to that rule. Not to say you won't be punished harshly when you need it because you will. You won't return to this room until you've earned it again." His voice was firm with finality, but I had noticed a recurring pattern by this point. Even when he was angry beyond all belief, he never yelled. Never raised his voice above the level you needed to hear him.

He turned me and motioned for me to go back down the steps. I heard the tinkling of keys and turned back in time to see him pull a skeleton key out of the door before putting them back in his pocket. So, it was more than just a room. It was more or less a guilded cage to lock me in when he wanted. I waited for him at the bottom and watched as he descended quickly and easily. I wished I could do things like that. Especially in this sheet. Had I tried more than doing just one step at a time as I gripped the rail for dear life I know I'd have ended in a pathetic heap at the bottom.

He put one hand on the small of my back and led me back to his office. I hope he didn't expect me to kneel again. I was still planning on refusing. He opened and closed the door behind me tightly before motioning to a chair pulled up close to the front of his desk. It was covered in manila folders, papers, and pictures. Dread curled around in my stomach and I felt like I was going to be nauseated just at the thought of what all that was. My instinct was telling me that whatever was in those folders and scattered around the desk would be just a drop in the bucket to what this man in front of me was capable of.

"Sit. Down." He said quietly from his own chair. I hadn't even noticed what he'd been doing.

Quietly I moved over and slowly sat in the chair, letting my eyes roam across the pictures on top. Me. They were all of me. One was of me exiting my apartment to go running, bag in hand for after I hit the gym for my toning routine. Another was of me actually running through the park, water bottle in hand , ear buds in my ears, hair up in a ponytail.

There were at least 50 of different sizes and shapes just of me going through my day. Leaving work, getting out of my truck, coming out of various stores and even pictures of me through my windows as I worked on a paper on my computer or as I watched the news.

He swept them into a pile and began to systematically stack each set of manila folders. He took the largest one and opened it up with it tilted towards him. My mouth dropped open when he started pulling papers out and placing them in front of me. There in a row was my birth certificate, social security card, my passport, and my fingerprint cards my dad had had done when I was a baby and every 5 years after until I was 20. They weren't copies either, they were all the authentic versions.

That meant someone had gotten into the Forks Police department. Not only that, but someone had gotten into my father's _house_! Charlie only kept the current card at the station. He had the others as backup at his house in case anything happened to the one on file. The thought of any of them coming that close to my father, snooping around in his personal space made me queasy. Jasper collected everything neatly before he fanned out some other papers. Upon closer inspection, they were my medical history, all original versions as well.

When I'd had enough time to look at them, he collected them and stuck them back into my file with the other items. Then he started laying out manila folders, the top of each laying on the bottom of the one before it. I looked down the row of tabs, reading off names of my family, friends and acquaintances. I picked up one at random and opened it up. I was met with the sight of an eight by ten picture of Jacob Black, working under the hood of his VW Rabbit in a pair of sweats and a white tank. He and his clothes were stained with grease spots here and there as he toyed with the socket wrench in his hands. I could tell from the look on his face he was working out what he needed or what may or may not be the problem.

Suddenly, I couldn't breathe. I saw, rather than felt the folder slip from my hands and go tumbling to the floor in slow motion, the papers and pictures scattering everywhere. My eyes spied bits and clips of information from random papers that were flipped up and exposed. I felt like I had just ran a marathon and couldn't catch my breath. I started gasping for air and tried to stand. Where I was going, I didn't know, but I had to get out of the room.

A pair of large, strong hands took my by the waist and guided me to sit against the wall. My knees came up and I was lightly pushed to have my head between my knees. If he was talking I didn't hear any of it. All I heard was a combination of dull roaring and ringing in my ears.

After a few moments of sitting like this, out of sight of the papers with the coolness of the wood on my back and bottom through the sheet, I began to catch my breath. When the roaring and ringing faded, I heard his voice beside me, quietly commanding me to breathe in and breathe out. When I was breathing more regularly, he quieted again.

I leaned back and let my head fall backwards with a thud against the hard wood paneling. In my peripheral vision I could see him watching me silently, still as a statue. I clutched the sheet tightly to my chest and whispered out a choked "Why me?"

"All in due time." He said quietly before taking my hand and pulling me back to my feet. "Stay." He said before going back over to clean up his desk area of all the folders and papers. It was a command I didn't mind because I don't think I could quite look at any of it yet without nearly passing out again. He came back over to me once everything was put away and took me by my wrist, pulling me around his desk.

When we got behind it, he grabbed my sheet and ripped it out of my hands. I made to grab for it in my panic of being exposed but all he did was turn his back to me and fold it quickly before sitting on it. I crossed my arms in front of my chest and squeezed my thighs together, trying to melt in on myself. If my skin hadn't been so burnt, he'd have been able to see how far my blush spread.

"If I desire to look at you, I will look at you. If I want you to bathe with me, you will. If I want you to sleep in my bed, you shall do that as well. However, I won't take your virginity against your will. You will give that to me all on your own. I promise you that." He had that knowing look in his eye again.

"Now come here." I shook my head wildly, not wanting to uncover myself.

Getting out of his chair, he stalked over and got me by the arm, despite my cry of pain. "If I tell you to come here, you'd do best to learn to obey me and do it without hesitation." He hissed as he drug me over to his chair. My traitorous tears born of anger, pain and humiliation rolled down my face, mixing with my sobs as he forced me onto my knees directly in front of his chair before sitting back down.

I heard a little click before hearing a drawer sliding open. I looked up and gasped at what I saw. In his fingers was a pale pink collar that was about an inch wide with a small ring on the front and a bell. It was something you would put on your cat and with the bell on the front you would be able to hear it coming. I glanced towards his desk and saw a tiny silver lock. Hell no. I wasn't doing this willingly, I turned to scramble away from him but only made it about five feet crawling away before his weight shoved me to my belly on the floor.

I kicked, jerked, bucked, clawed and screamed as I tried my damnedest to get away from him. He planted himself on my lower back and pinned my legs to the ground with his own. He was so much bigger than me, and heavy as well. My skin was hurting so badly from my thrashing around, but I wasn't going to stop fighting. Not now. Not ever. He got tired of waiting for me to wear myself out or quit after a few minutes and grabbed my hair, shoving my face against the oriental rug in front of his desk.

It soaked up my tears as I felt the soft, supple leather being threaded between my neck and the floor. The buckle was cold and my level of panic rose as it began to tighten. Hyperventilation was almost immanent when I felt the spoke going through the hole and felt him finish fastening it after he made sure it was a safe amount of tightness. My eyes fell closed at the click of the lock. I wouldn't be able to tamper with it, short of cutting it off somehow. It was a combination and key lock.

When I realized it wasn't too tight, I silently sighed in both relief and resignation. I'd just have to deal with it for now I supposed. It wasn't until his gruff voice commanded me to get up that I realized he still had a hold on my hair. He rose and when I realized my hair was staying in his fist, I rose with him. Leading me over to an arm chair, he slowly sat down and guided me over his lap. What the hell was he doing now?

I got the gist of the idea when he finally let my mane go and jerked me to where I was laying on my belly across his legs. Before I could move out of my shocked state however, he'd already taken a belt, wrapped it around my knees and fastened it tightly. The bell on my collar jingled with every move I made, igniting a fiery hate for it immediately.

"This will be but one of your punishments for running away from me. All punishments include a spanking, but that doesn't mean I limit it to just that. In due time, you'll be trained to come to me when I command and take your punishments with grace."

I didn't believe that for a second. Did he just forget the past 10 minutes where he had to rip my sheet away, force me to kneel in front of him, then pin me to the floor to put this God awful collar on me?

He took the back loop of the collar that you would normally attach a leash to and hooked one of his fingers through it to make his hold on my neck more firm.

"Today I'm just going to use my hand, next time, you'll get the belt. Do you understand?"

I grit my teeth together in silence, eliciting a growl from him.

"I asked, Do. You. **Understand**?" He accentuated each word of the question with a sharp smack. I yelped and jerked against him, but with my legs bound and his hand around my neck I couldn't hardly move at all.

"Yes! I understand!" I got out, feeling the spots on my ass heating up from where he'd struck.

"We'll work on how you'll address me and respond later. This time I'll let it slide." He said quietly.

My body was tense and ridged and for a moment, it was completely quiet. I could tell he was watching me to see if I would try to fight him or get up. I didn't desire to risk breaking my neck or possibly breaking anything by trying to squirm away.

Then it started. The office was filled with loud, sharp smacks as he spanked my behind and upper thighs. I would squeak or whimper at first, but as he continued on, my cries and pleas started getting louder the more it burned and stung. I swear, he had to have given me at least fifty or so strokes before he stopped and loosened the belt. After letting go of my neck, he helped me to stand back up. I felt so humiliated, being drug naked across his lap and having my ass busted like I was but a mere child he was correcting instead of the twenty three year old woman I was. Not to mention the whole ordeal with the collar.

"I sincerely hope you don't end up here often, but if I have any indication so far, I have a feeling you'll be across my lap quite often. I have no qualms punishing you when it's called for. You've done almost nothing but defy me, disrespect me and on top of it all, you ran away and damaged yourself. That is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Normally when a slave runs away, they usually end up being tracked down and killed, but I'm not prone to blowing money like that."

Retrieving the sheet, he wrapped it back around me and led me back to the room I was in prior. He guided me to the bed where he had me lay back down on my stomach and for a moment I was afraid her was going to strap my arms back down rendering me practically immobile. Instead he silently fixed my hair and applied more of the soothing cream to my burns before telling me to go back to sleep. He sat there as I curled around my pillow and balled myself up as much as I could, doing my best to ignore his presence. The promise that he wouldn't rape me made me a lot more relieved, but not totally.

Being emotionally and physically drained, I sunk into a dreamless slumber, dreading what the next days would bring me.

* * *

A/N: Whoever leaves a review, gets a sneak peek at the next chapter. :)


	4. Spare the rod, Spoil the child

**Author's Note: Thank you all for the Reviews and Alerts! We did our best on sending out the sneak peek to all those that reviewed, but if your PM was disabled then we weren't able to. So if you want a sneak peek then PM us and we will find a way to send you one ;) **

**We've been hearing a lot of questions about our updates and I'm sorry to say that we're not on a set schedule. One of us has a full time job working 12 hour shifts and the other one of us has three kids under 4 lol So sometimes real life gets in the way of our hobby. But updates will be coming! Hopefully at least every few weeks. **

**Also please remember when reading that this is NON-CONSENSUAL. The D/s and M/s aspects of this story are not what is portrayed in an actual consensual M/s relationship. Also if you are looking for our main dominant character to see the error in his ways and fall in love with her and vice versa then you should probably look for your entertainment elsewhere. He won't change. Sorry, not gonna happen. We like him tall, blond, dominant and an ass ;) **

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"You are a slave, you are owned. You are a female. You will be forced to be a woman. She will be what he wishes, and that is a woman, fully and his. If necessary you will be whipped or starved. You may fight your master. He will, if he wishes, permit this, to prolong the sport of your conquest, but in the end, it is you who are the slave; it is you who will lose."

Page 12 Tribesman of Gor

**BPOV**

You see on the news stories of murders, thefts, suicides and kidnappings. And while watching the horrors play out in front of you like a lifetime movie you silently thank God that it's not you or someone you know going through it. A part of you even thinks that it would never happen to you because you are more careful than that to let your kids get taken from you, or to be around someone with a gun. But the fact of the matter is, shit happens. I'm proof of that. But in my case this wasn't just some random kidnapping, oh no, this was thought through, planned and then executed. Mission accomplished. Girl abducted.

And what's worse, I just recently found out that I was no longer even in the country. That's right, I was brought to Mexico and was now illegally a citizen. Against my will.

I didn't get the "privilege" of watching television to even see if people were out there looking for me. My father must be worried sick. I felt like I simply vanished off the face of the earth, never to be seen again or even missed. And in a way I guess I did. My dad had no power across the border, the most they would be able to do was look for me, but really, what good would that do them? We were in the middle of nowhere. It truly was a hopeless situation.

No Bella! I scolded myself, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. That's what the blond devil wanted, is for me to second guess myself and my family. He wanted me to feel hopeless and abandoned. But I knew the truth. My father was the Chief of Police and I knew that he would be doing everything within his power and then some to find me. He would never give up on me, just like I will never give up hope on him finding me one day. I just prayed that I would be alive and not six feet under the ground when I did.

I didn't know how much longer I could stand to be in this room alone with my thoughts. But that's probably what el Diablo wanted was for me to drive myself crazy in here. I couldn't tell you how long I'd been in here. It could be months, days, weeks...hell even minutes, though I highly doubt that. I've slept...albeit uncomfortably and I've long since soiled myself. A few times actually. I was starting to learn that I was going to have to pick my battles with my captor and not go off on a rampage whenever I felt like it. I don't think I could handle another day of isolation, which was where I was now.

Flashback

"_I can't trust you to be alone yet so today you will be working in the kitchen with Charlotte, who is the head chef here," El Diablo said, who I just learned was actually named Jasper. _

_I preferred to call him El Diablo though. I remembered watching some cartoon and that's what they called one of the little devilish animals from it. El Diablo. The Devil. It was fitting, I thought. _

"_Joseph," He said pointing to a man that was standing at the back of the room in a black suit with his hands behind his back, "Is assigned to you and will make sure that you follow orders and do as you're told without argument. I should warn you he is heavily loaded and is under instruction to contain you by any means necessary." _

_The whole time Jasper was talking I could feel my anger just burning my insides, dying to be released on the man in front of me who was sitting at his desk going over paperwork, not even looking at me. _

"_They're going to find me," I said softly, in an eerie voice._

"_I didn't give you permission to speak, slave." Jasper said sitting back in his chair, finally looking at me. _

_Permission? I didn't need his Goddamn permission for anything. _

"_You'll never get away with this," I threatened, "My dad will find me and then he will put a bullet in your head. Then you can go to hell where you belong."_

_As I learned Jasper was not one to show much emotion outwardly, whether he was mad or happy. I watched as his eyes darkened and his lips tightened and that was the only sign showing that my words had affected him. _

"_Place yourself. Over my lap." He demanded quietly, his voice clipped. _

"_Go fuck yourself." I replied immediately, not even thinking that my words were going to have some repercussions. _

_Before I could even blink or try to run away Jasper had me by the hair and shoved me roughly against the wall, his nose touching mine, his other hand gripping my thigh tightly. _

"_You have two choices," He hissed, "Apologize and bend over my lap for your punishment, or don't and spend the next week in isolation. What will it be?"_

_His words didn't even register in my brain after he threatened me with a punishment again, instead I saw red and did what was probably the most stupidest thing I could have done. _

"_Fuck you." I hissed, spitting what saliva was left in my mouth in his face. _

_The only problem was that I was not prepared for his reaction to my action and didn't see his hand coming until it had already connected with the side of my face. The sting set in immediately and tears swam in my eyes from the blinding pain. Without another word Jasper let go of me and let me fall to the floor. I didn't even realize he was holding me up. _

"_Take her into isolation," he said going back to his desk calmly as if nothing had happened, "I'll give you more instructions later on."_

End Flashback

My stomach growling brought me out of my thoughts and reminded me that I was hungry. I was getting fed in here, if you could call it that. Joseph would bring me in a plate of cold soup and a hard piece of bread once a day and that would be it. He seemed more concerned with the water, bringing in full containers multiple times a day. I don't know how many times he brought me food, but he would uncuff me from the wall, then wait while I finished eating before cuffing me back so that I couldn't move. My arms were above my head but at least I was in a sitting position and my feet were free to move around. The first day after eating the nasty soup I tried to yell and scream for someone to hear me. I kicked my feet against the floor and I screamed until I lost my voice. All to no avail. No one heard me, or no one cared.

When I had to go to the bathroom I begged and pleaded to be let out long enough to go. I cried bitterly into my shoulder until I just couldn't hold it anymore and had to go on myself like some unbroken puppy. I was afraid that the smell of my own ammonia was getting to my head, because it felt like I was becoming borderline insane. I wanted to scream for Jasper to take me out of here and to save me from this place that I could honestly say I was now afraid of. How ironic was that? The man that sentenced me here in the first place was the only man I knew who had the power to save me from here. I wanted to tell him that I give up and that he had won. I didn't have the fight left in me any longer. I was weak, physically and emotionally and I just couldn't do it anymore. I was giving up. I wanted to die. With that last thought I laid my head back onto my shoulder and waited for the darkness to call upon me and welcome me with open arms. I was ready.

"Christ, I wouldn't even have to do this if you would just be good, Isabella."

Was it possible to float? It felt like my body was floating on a sea of clouds. Did I die? Was this heaven? I tried to open my eyes but couldn't. I tried to move my hand next but stopped when a shooting pain shot through my arm. Nope, this couldn't be heaven. There was no pain in heaven...was there? If so, I got screwed then.

"You have to fall before you can stand and while you'll fall I'll guide you back to your feet. You just have to listen and obey me."

I could hear Jasper's voice but it almost sounded like it was far away. I would have thought that if it weren't for his hands on me. The sound of water running almost drowned him out as well. He was using something soft on my back and shoulders and the smell of strawberries permeated the air around us. What was he doing? And who was he talking to? Why could I not make some sort of noise or movement to show that I was somewhat coherent?

"I'm not sorry for your isolation punishment," I heard him say while running warm water down my back, "It had to happen and you had to learn. You will obey me...eventually." He said, but this wasn't the usual calm and collected Jasper I had seen before. He sounded more...angry now, he was actually showing some kind of emotion. He wasn't sorry for putting me through that hell hole and making me piss on myself like a fucking animal? I moaned involuntarily at that and I felt him stiffen behind me. Behind me? Was he dressed? Was I dressed? I could feel warm water washing over me and I now knew he must have been giving me the bath that I probably desperately needed.

"It's like a quote I once heard 'no woman truly knows what she is until she has worn a collar'. And you my slave are now wearing a collar. It's time you learned your place." By now he was back to talking to himself and I knew that he didn't know I could hear him. If he knew I could then I probably would not be hearing this first hand. But at the same time a part of me felt like he wanted me to hear him anyway. It seemed like he was trying to 'mold' me into this woman that he wanted. He wanted me to be the perfect slave and by talking to me the way he was it was like his own way of seeing that happen. Like he was trying to push me into learning how to be that woman. Little did he know, I would never be that woman. I would never be a doormat.

"If you only knew the places I could take you in your submission." He whispered still washing me gently. "If you only knew how good it could be."

I wanted to snort and roll my eyes at Ghandi over here with his mysterious words that made no sense. Who in their right mind would embrace their slavery? Slavery wasn't even legal for crying out loud! At this point his voice was long gone and I was slipping back into my black abyss. It was a comfort for me, to go somewhere where I couldn't be touched, where there was no 'training' and no crazy men after me. It was a nice break from the hell that was now my life.

I don't know how long I slept for and when I opened my eyes next I immediately noticed that I was back in the bedroom. Blinking against the light that was flooding the room, I tentatively moved my arms and found that they were not bound like usual. My legs were free also. My palms began to tingle and my heart started to race. Did he leave me alone for once? Was this my chance to escape? I sat up quickly and immediately regretted that action as my head spun and I gripped the sheets in my hands willing myself not to fall off the bed. As soon as the room stopped spinning I looked up, my eyes immediately seeking out the door.

In that instant what little hope I had left crumbled and I felt the tears spring to my eyes. Of course he wouldn't leave me unsupervised.

"Good morning, Miss Swan." Joseph said from the doorway. "Your Master is waiting on you."

I threw a glare in his direction and looked down to make sure I was dressed before climbing out of the bed carefully, making sure to avoid the still tender places on my bottom and on my skin where the effects of the sun was still sitting.

After I finished with my bathroom needs, which Joseph watched with disinterest, he led me down the hall in nothing but my light blue silk pajamas to Jasper's lair. Or office, they went hand in hand. With every step I took the bell on my little "collar" jingled reminding me over and over that I was nothing more than a domestic animal to him.

It also served a purpose though, to alert Jasper when I was nearby or when I was coming. I reached up and grabbed the little bell with my hand, muffling the sound so that it was quiet. Finally. Joseph was walking ahead of me and when the bell stopped ringing he turned around quickly, his eyes fierce.

"You don't want to do that," he threatened slapping my hand away from the bell.

"I think I really do," I spat back.

Instead of answering he turned back around and continued walking as if nothing happened, only this time holding my hands in his so that I couldn't free them. This was ridiculous. Instead of struggling I admitted defeat on this knowing that I was going to have to choose my battles and my animosity wasn't with this so called butler, it was with the man behind the big oak door that we were standing outside of.

As Joseph knocked on the door, waiting to be granted entrance, I made a silent vow then and there to give Jasper hell today. I was going to show him that I was my father's daughter and I was not going to back down.

Bring it on Whitlock, I thought as the door opened, bring it on.

As we stepped inside Joseph pushed me forward so that I stumbled in first, barely catching myself on the arm of the chair. I turned around and glared at him to see him looking straight ahead not even paying attention to me.

"That will be all, Joseph." Jasper stated dismissively, causing me to look over at him for the first time.

I heard the door close softly behind Joseph as he left and I huffed in exasperation at being left alone with this vile man. Again. Last night was a bit hazy and clouded for me but I did remember bits and pieces here and there of Jasper bathing me after my time in isolation. Looking at him now, his blue eyes were hard and piercing mine, his gaze unwavering. His lips were in a firm line and his stance was that of a dominant man. Where was the man from last night who was talking softly to me and washing me as if he were my lover and not my captor? I looked into his eyes, but saw nothing. It was like there was a veil there hiding his emotions not just from me, but from the world.

I crossed my arms over my chest hiding my nipples that were trying to poke through the flimsy material of the nightie he had put me in last night. It was the only thing I had to protect myself against him. I knew without a doubt that I had to have been naked last night when he bathed me and I knew that he had already seen me in all my glory. I felt violated and dirty at the thought of his hands on me but I knew that right now, there was nothing left I could do. Instead I hid myself from his view the best that I could, hoping to keep some of my dignity in tact.

I watched as his gaze raked over my body once causing me to shiver involuntarily.

"Come." He commanded, sitting back down in his chair behind his desk, pointing to a spot directly beside him.

_Survive Bella. _Makenna's words resonated through my head and in that moment I knew that she was right. I was going to have to choose my battles carefully if I expected to make it out of here in one piece. And not in a body bag. I slowly took one step forward keeping my eyes on Jasper the entire time waiting on him to make his next move. I'm not sure what I expected but instead of moving or saying a word, he watched patiently as I took baby step after baby step until I was just out of arms reach from him.

"Here." He said quietly pointing to the spot where he wanted me exactly.

I inwardly rolled my eyes at his bossy attitude but obediently took that last step so that I was where he wanted me.

"Kneel." He demanded.

"Never." I hissed, Makenna's words all but forgotten now.

I did what he asked. I came to him like an obedient bitch in training. How much more was I expected to take? I didn't kneel to him willingly the first time and I sure as hell wasn't going to kneel to him willingly this time.

"I see," he said with his eye brow cocked up in my direction, "Like the isolation room do you?" He asked mockingly.

I paled at the words 'isolation room' and I knew that he knew the effect it had on me. I would rather die than go back there. I don't think I could survive that again. Never again. Without another coherent thought I dropped to my knees, my breathing still coming out in gasps at his threat.

"Good girl." He praised, running his hand over my hair once before pulling it back. With that one simple gesture Stephan's words came back to hit me like a punch in the gut. _You have been bought and paid for. Like a pure bred bitch. _And in that moment that's exactly what I felt like. A female dog. A bitch. Just like he said.

"What has you so terrified about the isolation room?" He asked bringing me out of my musings.

Was he joking?

"How about I cuff both your hands to the wall and keep you in the dark for a week, without letting you use the restroom so you piss all over yourself?" I fumed, "How about I-"

"It wasn't a week," he countered cutting me off mid rant, "You were there for three days. No more. No less."

It took me a moment for his words to go through my mind and when they did it surprised me by how uncaring he sounded when he said that. I was alone in a dark room for three days, pissing on myself and he acted like it was nothing. Nothing! I was fucking chained to the wall, unable to move what so

ever. It was like a scene from a horror movie and yet here he was acting like it was nothing more than a bad nightmare!

"Joseph said you had moments where you would scream for hours before finally quieting down," he continued on as if we were discussing nothing more than the weather, "What were you thinking about when you were screaming?"

What was I thinking? Was that a trick question?

"Why do you care?" I asked, anger dripping from my words.

His eyes squinted and I could see the fire just behind them and I knew he was getting mad. Good. Join the fucking club.

"I care about my property. And your thoughts and feelings belong to me." He said leaning over the arm of his chair so that our faces were practically touching. I didn't realize that I had been leaning forward and now I felt like he was invading my personal space.

I leaned back, my face red with anger at his words. Property? Hell no.

"You don't own me!" I screeched, "No matter what your fucking receipt says."

He stood up suddenly, his chair nearly toppling over in his haste.

"Obviously you weren't there long enough to learn your lesson," he said calmly once again, never raising his voice, "Maybe a few more days there will do you some good." He said as he grabbed me by the arm roughly, pulling me to my feet.

"No! No! No!" I yelled, scrambling trying to get away from him.

Just the idea of going back into that room had me in a near panic and now my survival instincts were kicking in and they were telling me to fight. Fight for my life. So that's exactly what I did. I screamed at the top of my lungs, kicking, biting, and punching every spot of him that I could. My legs were flying through the air as he picked me up like a sack of potatoes. I kicked the walls and the door and managed to get a hit on him somewhere with my fist, and judging from the grunt that came from him I think I could safely say that it would leave a mark.

"You can't do this!" I screamed as he managed to get us out the door, "Please!"

I could feel my cheeks burn in anger as the tears coursed down them leaving fiery trails in their wake.

"Please! No!" I sobbed, "Don't do this to me!"

I opened my eyes as I felt his body stop at the top of the stairs and I heard the door creaking open. Without thinking I clutched his shirt in my fists and wrapped my legs around him, holding on to him for dear life, praying that he would not leave me in here alone again.

"No! No! No!" I whimpered over and over again, "Please. Don't." I sobbed, holding onto him even tighter.

I felt his arms wrap around my back as if he were hugging me and I used that opportunity to press myself closer to him, whimpering his name over and over again, begging him not to do this.

"Turn around slave." He demanded.

Not wanting to give him any more ammunition to leave me in here again I quickly obeyed only to see the wall where the cuffs were. Where my hands were locked in not even twenty-four hours ago. The darkness that surrounded the room was nothing compared to the darkness that was closing in on me.

Flashback

"_What are you doing to me?" I cried, struggling against Joesph's iron grip on me. _

_He had dragged me up the stairs and into this room that was pitch black. I could hear chains rattling against what sounded like a stone or brick wall. _

"_Hush, slave," he hissed as he kept a firm grip on my arm with one hand while the other worked the chains._

_My subconscious was telling me not to fight this and make it worse for myself but my instincts and brain were telling me otherwise. _

"_Please," I whispered, "Don't do this. Let me go. Please!" _

_Instead of answering me he pushed me roughly against the wall and I flinched as my shoulder blades hit the stone hard. There would no doubt be bruises there by morning. I struggled against him with everything in me as he raised my arms above my head, snapping metal cuffs around my wrists. _

"_Please!" I screamed, now openly bawling, scared out of my mind. _

_The room was so dark that I couldn't even see him. There were no windows in here from what I could tell and the creaking of the floor boards were not helping with the creepy feeling that was washing over me. Jerking on the cuffs one last time he must have been satisfied with the tightness of them because he turned away from me without another word, the door slamming shut behind him, leaving me alone once again. _

_That first night was the hardest. I don't know how long I had been sitting there sobbing on the floor, shivering from the cold air when I heard the creakiness of the door opening. My eyes snapped open and I frantically searched the darkness for a shadow or for some sign of movement to show me that I wasn't alone. _

"_Eat." A voice commanded me from the side, causing me to jump and squeak in fright. _

_I recognized Joseph's voice and I almost sobbed in relief. I felt him beside me uncuffing my hands, letting them drop to my side. I hadn't even noticed that my arms were numb from lack of circulation and as the blood began pumping back through them they tingled painfully. _

"_I won't tell you again." Joseph said nudging a tray in my direction. _

_Pulling myself to my knees I scrambled to the tray and without even seeing what was in the bowl on it I brought it to my lips and ate from it greedily. It was soup. And it was disgusting. But it was all I had. Not knowing when I would get food again I drank everything the bowl had to offer before setting it down gently back on the tray. A second later a big container was handed to me by Joseph. _

"_Drink it all or be punished." He demanded quietly. _

_I was beginning to notice that Joseph was a man of little words. He didn't speak more than what was necessary to get the point across. _

_I grabbed the container from him and greedily gulped down the ice cold water it offered. It took a few tries until I could finish it all but once I did, I felt strangely full and better. Before I could stand up Joseph grabbed my wrists once again and chained me back to the wall before I could protest. _

"_No!" I screamed at him as he walked back away from me, "Don't do this! Please!"_

_The door slamming behind him once again was the only response I got. _

_When Edward, Jacob and I were little we liked to play to play hide and go seek. I was always the best hider, coming up with new hiding places all the time. And of course since I was so tiny I could fit into small spaces. One time I climbed into this itty bitty cabinet in the laundry room in Edward's house. Jacob was 'it' and I only had ten more seconds until he was going to 'seek' us. With no options left I quickly climbed in and curled myself into a ball to fit, making sure to close the door behind me. I could hear the pounding of feet pass by me over and over again but neither Jacob nor Edward could find me. I was proud of my new hiding spot but the darkness was starting to get to me and I was getting scared. _

_Deciding that I didn't want to play anymore I pushed on the door ready to jump out. But instead of the door opening, it stayed shut. I pushed harder and harder to no avail, freaking out. By that time tears were streaming down my face and I was screaming at the top of my lungs willing someone to hear me. Seconds, minutes, or hours later Jacob flung open the door and grabbed me into his arms to help me out with Edward right behind him. I never did hide in dark, confined places like that again but no matter where I did hide Edward and Jacob always found me and I was more than happy to lose at that game over and over. It was comforting that they found me. _

_But now? Now, they would never find me again. This was like a game of hide and seek only this time, we were all losers and I was never meant to be found again. _

_Joseph came back in during that time after he brought me the soup, carrying that container of water and making me drink the entire thing. Only when the water goes in, it has to come out. And out it came. All over me. Over and over again. Until I thought I would pass out from the smell. But that would have been too easy, to escape the evil darkness only to go into my own safe darkness. Instead I was stuck in the darkness I could not escape with only my memories and imagination to keep me company._

End Flashback

"What are you thinking, slave?" Jasper's voice asked me.

I opened my eyes to see that I was still in his arms snugly. It almost felt intimate to me but he was the only solid thing I had to hold onto in this room of torture and I wasn't about to let him go now.

"M-Memories." I stuttered out, my teeth chattering.

"Do you want to leave here?" He asked, rubbing my neck above the collar with his fingertips.

"Please," I whispered brokenly sobbing once again, "Please, I'll do anything! Please just don't leave me in here again."

I buried my face in his neck and cried openly, my body shaking with my sobs, yet I didn't care. The only thought going through my mind was that I couldn't be left in here alone again. Not again. Never again. To my surprise Jasper didn't say another word, instead he walked back out of the room and into the light. The door slammed shut behind us and for the very first time since I got here, I was thankful that I was with Jasper and in his arms and not in alone in that room.

What was happening to me?

As he came to the top of the stairs he let his arms fall loosely at his sides yet I didn't move. I was clinging to him so tightly that I was actually holding myself up on him.

"Let go." He commanded still not moving.

I dropped my legs so that they were dangling off and slowly unwrapped my arms from around him so that I slid down his body until I was on my own two feet in front of him. Everything was starting to come back to me and I could feel my body heating up in my trademark blush. I just made a fool out of myself in front this man. Making it seem like I depended on him and almost...trusted him not to put me back in that room. I was instantly ashamed of myself and bent my head so that he couldn't see me. I was supposed to be fighting him off and trying to escape and what did I do? I clung to him like a child afraid to leave it's mother. I showed him my weakness. And now he would use that against me every time I defied him.

"Walk."

His one word sentences were not helping matters either! Did he have nothing more to say to me? Why the hell was he asking me all those questions for in the first place? What did he care? I was nothing more than an animal to him! I wouldn't be surprised if the bastard got me vaccinated. I shot him another glare and walked down the stairs in front of him, feeling more and more exposed in my tiny light blue nightie shorts, the bell on my collar making a jingling noise all the way down. Maybe I could look at it as a good thing. Something like 'every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings', it could happen right? As usual he said nothing more and I waited for him at the bottom of the stairs not knowing where he wanted me to go.

As soon as he was level with me Jasper grabbed my arm again by my elbow and tugged me along after him. Padding behind him quietly, my bare feet not making a sound, I knew that it would be pointless to struggle. I was drained emotionally from what just happened and my head was still spinning. And it was hard to think straight with that fucking bell ringing every goddamn second!

Before I knew it we were back in his office and he had taken his seat behind his desk, once again pointing to a spot on the floor right next to him. I knew what he wanted. Having been in here as many times as I have and having been told just as many times to 'kneel' it was pretty damn obvious what he expected from me. Except, I wasn't going to ever kneel to him willingly. He wanted it. He could demand it. I would never make myself vulnerable like that to him of my own free will.

"Kneel."

I inwardly rolled my eyes. I knew that was coming. I walked slowly to where he was pointing at and dropped to my knees. Again.

"Who told you my name?" He asked looking me dead in the eye.

Who what? How did he know I knew his name? Like a bad movie it came back to me. Me clinging to him, sobbing his name over and over while begging him not to leave me in that hell hole he called an isolation room. I never meant to call him that, I wasn't even sure I was supposed to know it and going off the look in his eye now, I knew I was right. I wasn't supposed to know his name.

"Answer me." He demanded again.

"Joseph." I whispered giving him a one word answer of my own.

"Explain what happened." He said leaning back in his chair as if I were about to tell him a story.

Instead of answering him I glared, not opening my mouth. I didn't have to explain shit to him. Not about something as stupid as how I learned his name. Seriously? Was he that fucking vain?

"It would be a shame for him to lose his life all because you refused to talk." Jasper said leaning forward, putting his elbows on his knees, his fingers folded together underneath chin.

Lose his life? Kill him? He would kill Joseph because I learned his name? Was it really that big of a deal? I mean, there was obviously no way for me to escape from this prison so who would I tell?

"You would kill him?" I whispered, shocked.

"He disobeyed a direct order," he said with a shrug, "It would be the consequence for not listening to me."

"So what?" I hissed, willing myself not to cry, I would not be the reason Jasper killed him. I would not have his blood on my hands, "I tell you and then you go and kill him anyway? What does it matter when you have already made your decision to end his life?"

"No, you have the chance to save his life by telling me how you found out about my name. Your answer decides everything." He said calmly.

"I overheard him talking to someone outside my door," I whispered hesitantly not knowing if my answer was going to end him or save him, "He was talking about 'Master Jasper' and I just put two and two together."

I bowed my head frustrated with myself and my lack of thinking. What did it matter if he killed Joseph? The man was helping hold me hostage! He deserved to die for treating me the way he did. Why did I care so much? And that right there was the million dollar question. Why did I bother caring at all when no one here cared about me?

"What did you just say he called me?" Jasper asked, his voice not betraying what he was thinking.

"Master Jasper." I replied still not looking up.

"Exactly. He still shows me respect even when he is not around me by calling me 'Master'. You however do not." He berated me, "You called me by my first name whether you meant to or not which shows me that you do not respect me in the way you should. You are my slave. First and foremost. And you will address me with respect."

Respect? Was he fucking delusional? He hasn't earned my respect!

"From now on you will address me as 'Master'. No more. No less." He commanded. His voice hard.

The word 'Master' rolled through my head and made me feel physically ill. He expected me to call him that? Was he serious? Master what? Master fuck stain? Master of disaster? Because just 'Master' alone wasn't going to happen.

"What do you say?" He asked.

What do I say? I say fuck you and the horse you rode in on.

"Fine." I said instead.

"Say, yes Master." He demanded.

Don't do it, Bella. My inner voice begged. Don't give in. Don't let him control you in this aspect too.

_Survive Bella!_ Makenna's words echoed through my head once more. I could almost see her face and the fear in her eyes as she said that to me and I knew that this was going to be a part of my survival. With one last breath I muttered the two words that would break me just a little bit more.

"Yes Master."


	5. Rewards and Punishments

A/N: Okley dokley folks, there seems to be some confusion from the A/N in the last chapter. Lemme clarify something. _**We will be having a HEA at the end of this story!**_ I bet you're going: 'How the fuck are y'all gonna do that?'. Well, just stick with us. Keep in mind as well, the things he does for her, isn't always just for her. Also, there is a reason with why he is the way he is in this chap. Don't get used to it though! *winks*

A big shout out and Thank You to Jaspers Izzy! She rec'ed us over at Darkest Temptations (darksper (dot) blogspot (dot) com)! I bounced up and down and squeed and all sorts of things. ^_^

Also a huge thank you to Michellichi! She's offered to translate for us and we greatly appreciate it! We'll email you soon Sweets!

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_"One of the pleasant things about owning a slave," I said, "is the opportunity to converse with her, listen to her, to hear her express herself, her feelings and ideas. One can learn much from a slave. Many slaves, like yourself, are highly intelligent. They can express themselves articulately, clearly, trenchantly and lyrically. It is a great pleasure to talk with them."_

_-Beasts of Gor_

**One week later...**

It was early that morning when I awoke, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. I stretched languidly, wondering who would be there with me this morning when I opened my eyes. Most likely that damned butler. As I slowly sat up I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked around. The sight before me was rather puzzling. There at the end of my bed was El Diablo himself, reading the morning newspaper in black slacks and a blood red, long sleeve dress shirt.

"I hoped you enjoyed your last night in that bed." He said quietly, barely disrupting the silence of the house.

My head cocked to the side in question before recalling what he'd told me before about being punished and having to earn my bed back. It made the curiosity of what was going to happen to me now well up with a proportionate amount of dread that was filling the pit of my stomach.

"Where will I sleep from now on?" I asked, just as quietly with a croaky voice.

"You'll find out tonight. Now, go take care of your morning routine so I can get started." He commanded as he got up and padded across the floor to the closet. Not once during the whole transaction did he look at me.

I could only assume he meant get started with his work or whatever it was he did. I sighed silently as I got out of bed and went to use the restroom, brushed my teeth and hair, then washed my face. When I came back he was back in his chair, reading again.

With a glance to the bed I found that he'd laid out a cerulean bubble dress with an empire waist and a scoop neckline. Underneath it were a pair of black lacy boyshorts and a nude colored convertible bra. I picked everything up and went to go into the bathroom when a disapproving sound came from him. He hadn't even moved and he knew exactly what I was doing.

I sighed and stripped down from my silky pajama bottoms and little camisole. I dressed as fast and safely as possible, hating being constantly watched. I saw a hint of a smirk curling up the corner of his mouth and I wanted so badly to smack it off of him like he had smacked me the other day.

When I was done he pointed to the oak vanity with the large round mirror. It'd been part of my routine to sit here and brush my hair or style it in a specific way. After last Tuesday though, that all went out the window and I now had to sit here on the little bench as someone did my hair for me.

_Flashback_

_I walked into his office, ponytail swinging behind me. He'd 'requested' for me to put it back in a twist but I didn't want the headache that came from having my hair up in pins. He glanced up at my arrival, doing a double take. His eyes narrowed a slight bit at the sight of the ponytail._

"_Why is your hair not in the twist I requested?" He asked simply. I didn't look forward to what was coming, but I wasn't ready to give in to him yet either._

"_Because I didn't want my hair pinned up all day." I stated, just as simply. I crossed my arms loosely under my breasts as I met his gaze defiantly._

"_Come here and place yourself over my lap." He said as he scooted his chair back._

_I shook my head, sending my hair whipping back and forth with the motion. No way was I going to him willingly._

_He had but to glance over my shoulder and I found my hair wound around the wrist and grasped firmly by the base by Joseph, who practically drug me over to El Diablo. Placing one hand in the center of my back he gave a light shove and let me go, causing me to stumble over the Devil's lap._

_I immediately went to jump up, only to be grabbed by the hair again and shoved firmly back in place. His fingers moved to my collar where he slid his finger through the loop in the back that was meant for a leash while my pajama bottoms were ripped down. He wasted no time in delivering a swift, harsh spanking that reddened and practically set fire to my ass almost instantly. I tried to withhold my whimpers and cries of pain to little avail as the sharp slaps and smacks resounded in the silence. I felt humiliated not only because I was being spanked like a child, but because he did it in front of his damn butler. This gave me an indication that he didn't care if we were in private or not, he'd punish me where ever we were despite who was around._

_Once he gave his last blow, he let me lay there prone across his lap, tears pricking at my eyes. They finally won the battle and trickled from my eyes down to my cheeks where they dripped onto the edge of the rug his desk rested on, more following as I felt him fix my hair into the twist like he'd wanted, securing it with some pins he'd stashed in his desk drawer._

_After yanking my pajama pants back up, he made me sit on my sore ass on the hardwood floor, facing the corner for an hour or so until lunchtime. The rest of the day was spent with me kneeling silently beside him with him totally ignoring me._

_After that, someone always did my hair for me in whatever style was requested by him._

_End Flashback_

He brushed my hair silently, letting the silky strands slide through his fingers before pulling it up into a loose, yet elegant bun. It made me wonder where the hell he'd learned to do hair at and why he wanted to do mine so much.

It also made me wonder what made today different than the others. He was having me dressed in nice clothes, rather than leaving me in skimpy or flimsy pajamas like he had so far. Maybe he was having company...

After he was finished, he strapped on my collar and attached the lock. After the bell got caught in the bedding and pulled off, he'd started removing it while I slept and started scheduling my showers to happen right when I got up. That way there would be no putting it on, taking it off, putting it on, taking it off.

He gestured towards the door before walking through it. I knew what he wanted so I silently sighed to myself again and followed along, jingling all the way. After I entered his office I closed the door quietly behind me, knowing he preferred it that way and that if I didn't do it now he'd just order me back over to do it after I reached him.

He was already seated behind his desk but instead of fiddling with his papers or computer, he was watching me with a bit of interest. This worried me. He motioned me forward with the crook of his index finger. I slowly approached his desk with caution. This was new and I was extremely wary.

As I circled around the corner of his desk, I saw something new in the spot he usually had me kneel. It was a small footstool with darkly stained wooden legs that was overall a little over a foot and a half tall with a thick blue velvet cushion. The idea of sitting on something soft again was very appealing after a couple of weeks alternating between kneeling and sitting on the floor. That wasn't all though. On top of the stool was a very familiar looking book. As I came closer, I saw it was my worn and tattered copy of Wuthering Heights.

He was watching me speculatively and I could only wonder one thing.

"Why?" Oops. I didn't quite mean to say that aloud, but the cat was out of the bag and I was curious if he'd answer me or not.

He tapped his finger against the desk a couple of times as he eyeballed me before he answered.

"You've been good the past few days. I haven't had to repeat myself or spank you. I thought a little reward was in order."

I was grateful to have these small things, especially my book. I fucking hated calling him by the title he required, but if I was going to speak to him I had to use it. I didn't want him to think me unappreciative and possibly take them away again.

"Thank you... Master" I forced the last word out softly, a bitter taste on my tongue from it.

"You're welcome, Isabella. Now sit and be a good girl today." After that, he went back to his usual routine of doing his thing and ignoring me.

I had no qualms with following his instructions for once and took a seat on my gift, enjoying as I sunk into it's softness. Stretching my legs out before me, I crossed my ankles and let myself get submersed in another world for a while.

The day passed relatively uneventful. Me in my world, he in his. After lunchtime though, something else interesting happened. I heard the lower drawer of the left side of his desk open and shut as well as the jingle of keys as he locked it back. This wasn't unusual. However, I'd come to find that his desk was sort of like Mary Poppin's magical bag.

I looked up from the book in my hands not when I heard the crinkle of the plastic, but when I smelled the sweet smell of dark chocolate. It'd been at least two and a half weeks since I'd had anything sweet. I admit, aside from my time in the isolation room I was fed well, but it was all healthy stuff. I wasn't allowed sweets thus far.

I peeked up, doing my best not to move my head and bring attention to myself. I instantly recognized the black and red box with _Petit Ecolier_ written in tan on it from the cookie aisle at the grocery store. They were expensive shortbread cookies topped with a chocolate square that had a picture of what looked like little red riding hood embossed on it. They were absolutely delicious. I'd only bought them once because I ate the entire box in one sitting.

He glanced at me anyway, causing my eyes to shoot back down to my book. I heard the crack of the chocolate topped biscotti breaking and didn't pay much mind to it. He wasn't going to share his goodies with me.

I went back to reading my book only to jump in surprise when a quarter of the cookie appeared in front of my face. I glanced up to him in surprise to find him looking expectantly at me. When I went to take it from him though, he simply pulled his hand back. After two tries, I figured out what he wanted. He wanted me to take it from his fingers with my teeth.

I was tempted to take the cookie and part of his fingers with it but I didn't want to risk getting smacked, spanked or having my soft footstool or book taken away when I'd just gotten them. Not today anyway. It made my skin crawl that I was giving into him, but it wasn't because I wanted to. It was because I wanted to save my behind from getting beat and the entire notion that I was giving in in any fashion made my gut twist up unpleasantly.

I resolved with myself that if I wanted something while I was in my position, I was going to have to compromise with myself and get over a few things. With that thought in mind, I leaned forward and gently took the chocolatey goodness with my teeth. Closing my eyes, I chewed slowly and savored the flavors that danced across my taste-buds. I was definitely developing an appreciation of all the things I easily had access to before but was now restricted from. Like chocolate and books.

"What were you majoring in in college?" His voice startled me, causing my eyes to shoot back up to him. He'd been busy all day but was mostly silent. Even now, he was writing diligently as he awaited my answer.

My brows furrowed a bit. He had my file, why didn't he just look it up himself?

"Don't you have my transcripts?" I asked with a bit of confusion.

He paused only a moment to spare me a glance before continuing on with whatever he was doing.

"Yes, I do. I know your GPA, your courses, the professors you had and your grades. I know that you excel in classes having to do with auditing but you lack an interest in ethics classes. Not that you didn't do well in them, because you did. You just didn't do **as** well in them as you did in the others that held your attention better. Now, I asked a question and I expect it answered or you're going to find yourself across my lap again. You would do well to remember this for future references because next time I won't bother explaining anything. If I ask, you answer." He said, rubbing his hands across his eyes before picking up a pair of black rimmed glasses that had been laying to the side and perching them on his nose. He picked up his pen and started back where he'd left off.

"I was in a program to get my BS in Supply Chain Management." I answered quietly, looking at my fingers. It hurt immensely to know I'd never complete it and make Charlie proud by having a good job that would pay well.

"What did you plan on doing with that degree? What sort of job could you get with it?" He asked, tip of his pen set against his lip as he contemplated whatever he was filling out. He seemed to be in two spheres of thought at once. Processing my answers, asking questions, considering different factors all while doing his normal work. Whatever that was.

"I wanted to be a purchasing manager." I couldn't help but remember every conversation I'd had with Charlie on this subject. He could never understand why I wanted to do something involving so many numbers when I hated math. I could never get him to understand that it was more than just numbers and that all businesses that made something or sold something needed one, whether they were an online store or an actual store or a manufacturing plant.

"What would you do as one of those?" Questions, questions, questions. He'd never talked this much thus far and I had a feeling that it was for more than just my benefit of having actual companionship.

"I would find the best goods or services at the lowest cost while ensuring the best all around quality that I could. This could be used in manufacturing to get the appropriate raw materials for whatever they made or in retail, to find something at the lowest cost and purchase it to resell to make the best profit." I'd closed my book after his last question and let it rest in my lap. His quiet hum let me know that the answer was good enough and the silence picked up once more. It figured that once I'd closed it he'd clam back up.

I reopened my book and tried to read again. I was baffled to say the least that he would actually talk to me for whatever reason. Just as I was baffled that he had given me this stool and a book for 'good behavior'. My thoughts began drifting as I went into The Bella Zone.

Last week after I was in bed Thursday night, I thought about a lot of things. Mainly how I was tired of getting my hide tanned. I decided an experiment was in order to keep myself from going crazy and hopefully to keep me from getting myself killed before I could get back home.

I could faintly remember him talking to me in the bathtub, telling me he wouldn't have to punish me if I would just be good. This in itself ignited a plethora of thoughts and realizations. For one, if I didn't start 'behaving' then I'd most likely end up stuck in here with him every day that he 'worked' for the rest of my life. Ugh, no thank you. He'd originally said that he'd wanted me to work in the kitchen with someone named Char, but obviously those plans didn't quite happen.

If I continued on my 'good behavior' then perhaps I could get to see the rest of the house and see what all I could possibly use in a future escape attempt. Maybe that's what he was waiting for, for me to settle down first.

Either way, on Friday I behaved to the best of my ability, doing as he asked despite my clenched teeth. Saturday and Sunday had been a 'Bella Barbie' day like I'd had with Alice, a girlfriend from back home. She used to love to shop for me and dress me up, give me makeovers, etc. I hated it for the most part, but I know how happy it made my friend, so I let her have her fun.

Apparently Jasper decided that I needed a plethora of clothes for whatever reason so he'd had my measurements taken sometime while I was unconcious and had someone shop for me. Well, the fruits of their labors had been delivered via many, many boxes early Saturday morning. So, after everything was unpacked and inspected for accuracy I got to play 'Bella Barbie' once again. This time for Jasper and a very lovely blonde lady who I discovered was Char, the chef.

I did my best to keep my mind off of what I was actually doing and thought back to happier times with Alice when she'd made me do something similar after a shopping spree.

Sunday I was given a two pack of pledge and a pile of rags and instructed to clean every wooden surface in the study. I took my time and let my mind wander and concoct plans as I wiped away every iota of dust under the watchful gaze of Joseph as he busied himself polishing several silver items that had looked to have long been tarnished.

Yesterday was the same routine as Friday. Today was sort of surreal so far, I decided.

I was brought out of my musing by the telephone ringing. It was almost amusing with the way he looked at it with a raised brow as if it had offended him before picking it up. I went back to minding my own business but couldn't help to have my attention returned to the conversation at hand.

"You want how many M20 Launchers?" He looked skeptical as he scribbled down information before asking another question.

"And how many M28A2 HEAT rockets?" He started writing again only to pause "Are you sure? What the fuck are y'all gonna be blowing up? Wait, never mind, I'm sure I'll find out later." He continued writing hurriedly, mumbling to himself when not giving clear answers into the receiver.

"So, nothing else aside from the bazookas and rockets then? Alright, I'll call you back when I have something lined up and give you a time estimate. Thanks Randall. Bye." He hung up the phone and sighed a bit before getting a black book out of the Mary Poppin's desk.

For the rest of the day he continued to get phone calls. He also continued to scribble down notes as he conducted business. Before this he'd only gotten a phone call here and there but they didn't _seem_ to have anything to do with his business, then again I could be wrong.

It was a struggle to remain wrapped up in the story of Cathy and Heathcliff when you hear words like SR-25, M4 Carbine, AK-47 and frag grenades.

Once he even grumbled "Oh dios mio, did every-fucking-body suddenly run out of shit all of a sudden? Goddamn..." then gave a low huffing growl before going back to making arrangements as he muttered about planning in advance.

Innumerable questions began to swirl around my brain as I began building my facts. For one, my new 'Master' was a weapons dealer, but for whom? The most likely possibility was for the Mafia, for the people he'd hired to kidnap me and drag me down here to my own personal hell that he reigned over as El Diablo. That all lead back to the question of 'Why me?'. It was a curiosity I was probably going to have to puzzle out on my own. Some other possibilities he could be dealing to would be gangs or terrorists. That thought made me shudder.

Afternoon slowly turned to evening and left me with more questions than I could possibly remember or probably ever gain answers to. About the time that the little clock above the doorway hit five, he switched his ringer off and hit a few other buttons. Setting it up to go to voicemail or the answering machine I assumed.

He spent approximately an hour more working on paperwork before capping his pen and sliding it in the mesh wire cup that housed the rest of his writing utensils and a rather sharp looking silver and gold letter opener. I'd fantasized about things I could do with it. Grasping the decorative handle of the imitation stiletto dagger and plunging it into his heart was a favored fantasy. The thought struck me that it might not be imitation but I shook that off. No need to do something suicidal.

If he dealt in weapons then surely he had at least one within reach or on his person at all times. A dagger and I versus a man who knew his pop-guns. No scenario that ran through my head ended well for me.

He finally got up and held out his hand, to which I handed him my book. He took it, laid it on his desk and held out his hand again. There was only one other thing I could put there without pissing him off. With a mental scoff, I put my own hand in his and got to my feet.

"Come." He said before walking out the door. He was so assuming that I was always just going to follow along after him. One day he'd regret that.

Having no other real option, I began following him and was confused for a minute before realizing we weren't going back to the room I had been staying in. This reminded me of what he'd told me this morning. That I'd be starting my punishment for running away tonight. Suddenly, I was nervous of what was about to happen. Where was I going to sleep? I prayed to God that it wasn't with him.

He led me to the back of the second floor to a set of double doors, opening one and leaving it open. Mindlessly I closed it as I entered in behind him.

"Go use the restroom, shower and dry your hair, then put on your pajamas." He instructed, facing away from me as he inspected something on the other side of his bed. From here I couldn't see it at all. Oh well, I'd find out shortly I supposed.

I went into his bathroom and stopped where I stood. This was way too big for just one man. The room was done in dark grays and creams with black cabinets. There was a large double sink vanity with a tall mirror that stood alone in the center of the room. From the open door on the left, I could see that the toilet was sectioned off from the rest of the bathroom. That left me to guess that the door on the right side of the room either contained toiletries, towels and such or was another of his closets. Which led me to wonder how many clothes one man could have. I had noticed back in his bedroom that there was a doorway that was covered with a supple black velvet curtain and then next to it was a typical closet door that had the door handle right in the center.

Behind the standalone sinks was a large black oval bathtub, most likely the one Jasper had bathed me in. Opposite of it was a large shower stall that had gray tile on both of the walls and the floors, but the walls that kept the water in were both made of crystal clear glass. No frosting, no decorative scrolls, just glass. On the plus side, there were multiple shower heads that I knew would feel heavenly.

I removed my dress and underclothes, laying them neatly on the countertop before taking care of business. After I was finished, I headed straight to the shower, turning it on hot and hoping the room steamed up nice and thick.

There was something I hadn't done the past couple of weeks that I thought would be good to help me relax for tonight. I hadn't had the opportunity to come because Joseph was always impatiently awaiting me so he could drop me off at Jasper's office. Now though, it was just El Diablo and I and he was distracted from what I could tell in the other room.

I didn't know what he was doing, but it sounded like he was rearranging furniture from the noises coming from the room. Sometimes you'd hear a grunt or growl come from him along with some muffled banging. I guess whatever he was fighting with in there was fighting him back.

Hopefully the steam from the room would heat the tiles beneath my feet because those suckers were freezing.

The door slid open silently and I turned the knobs to get the water just right. After dancing around a bit on the icy tile, I checked the water and sighed in relief as I stepped in.

I picked up a familiar bottle of freesia scented bodywash with a bit of a grin, thankful that I didn't have to use his soap and come out smelling like a man. Although, that could be a good deterrent...

I put the notion out of my head as I languidly lathered up my body. I paid special attention to my breasts and nipples, squeezing them and rolling the peaks between my fingers. I bit my lip as I began thinking about one of my recurring fantasies staring my two best friends. I knew there was no way in hell it would ever happen, but it served my purposes perfectly.

It was so easy to envision them in the meadow, wrestling around and playing before Jake would pin Edward to the ground and trapped Edward's wrists beside his head. Jake leaning down to kiss Edward, maybe or maybe not for the first time.

One of my hands left my breasts and started heading farther south to one of my favorite locations. Just because I was a virgin didn't mean I'd never came or didn't enjoy masturbation. I'd found out after Alice asked me about it that I was rather curious so I tried it and pretty much fell in love. I refocused myself on my thoughts as I drug the very tips of my fingers along my nether lips, biting my lip and reminding myself to stay silent. Next I circled my clit with my index finger as I imagined Jake starting to head to the promised land on Edward, only to have him stop Jake. Jake saying 'Don't think, just feel.' with a gleam of heated lust in his dark eyes before he continued on his merry way.

I squeezed my tit harder and pinched my nipple tightly, praying for a bruise not to pop up, lest it would give me away. Getting a tad bit of paranoia, I glanced over my shoulder to see nothing out of the ordinary except steam filling the place up. Closing my eyes again, I began flicking and pinching my clit as my thoughts conjured up images of Jake unzipping Edwards pants with his teeth and worshiping his thick cock with his tongue and lips.

I couldn't help but pant but tried to keep that quiet too. Reaching up, I grabbed the detachable shower head and set it to the massage setting. I slipped it between my legs and focused it directly on my clit. My images came back as I closed my eyes, now Edward had threaded his fingers through Jake's hair and was practically fucking his face with his own head lolled back on his shoulders, his eyes glazed.

I was so close, he was so close. I leaned against the wall in support, reveling in the feel of my clit throbbing, my juices leaking out of me and getting washed away by the stream of water. My head fell back against the tile as my heart pounded, sending that blood through my veins to all the good and swollen places.

The moment my fantasy Edward went rigid as his release shot out in Jake's awaiting mouth, I had to bite my lip to keep myself from crying out as I too came hard due to my recent dry spell. I wanted to collapse like a limp spaghetti noodle, but knew that would be a bad idea because then I'd have to explain myself and I knew Jasper was not a stupid man. He'd know and then all my showers would be monitored. I couldn't have that. I needed to have this one thing for myself.

I waited a few moments until I felt I could stand again on my own before pulling the hair tie out and scrubbing my hair twice with some fancy looking shampoo before conditioning. I missed my old strawberry shampoo already. I let gravity do it's thing and let all my fluids come out of me while dealing with my hair before washing that area again. I didn't need to have a wet stain on my pajama bottoms to explain either.

After I felt clean enough I turned the water off and dried off with the towel, wrapping my hair up in another that was hanging right outside the stall. When I deemed myself dry enough not to drip everywhere and potentially cause myself to fall, I got out and headed over to the sinks. Gone was my dress and a pair of navy cotton pajama pants and the usual camisole with a dryer sitting on top was in its place. No underwear in sight.

I huffed to myself as I tucked the towel extra tight around me and plugged in the dryer. Shaking my hair loose, I dried it the best I could with the towel before getting to work with the blow dryer. Twenty minutes later my hair was nice, silky and dry. I chanced sliding the top drawer of the set between the two sinks open and was pleasantly surprised to find a few hair ties. His was long enough to pull most of the top back in a ponytail despite the fact I'd only seen him wear it loose. If he let it grow much longer, he'd be able to pull it back in a full ponytail. I mentally shook myself. Why the hell was I thinking of him?

I firmly told my brain to stop that shit and hoped that he didn't mind me borrowing one of the hair ties if they were indeed his. I pulled my hair up into a bun, much like he'd put it up earlier before hurriedly dropping the other towel and throwing my pajamas on. I cleaned up after myself by hanging up the towels to dry, fishing out another towel out of the closet and hanging it up next to the stall before finally putting the blow dryer away under the left sink.

I spotted my toothbrush in the cup holder and wanted badly to clean my teeth but he hadn't said to yet. Hopefully he'd let me before I went to sleep. I inspected things once more before turning and heading back out to the lion's den.

The lion himself was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding two mugs. He held one out to me and I approached him slowly. I was no less wary of him despite his recent niceness. I took the mug gingerly, enjoying the warmth seeping into my fingers. I slowly inhaled the steam rising and it smelled like hot chocolate but it was a little different.

"It's Champurrado, Mexican hot chocolate. I thought it may help you sleep. Now drink up carefully." I had a feeling that the day he raised his voice was probably going to be the day someone's head rolled. I've seen bits of anger in the narrowing of his eyes and the subtle change of the color. I've seen contentment when he'd lean back in his chair for a while after lunch with the newspaper. But I'd never really seen him smile other than that bit of a smirk this morning and I'd never heard him yell. The lack of display of emotion disturbed me a little, but I tried to shrug it off.

I brought the mug to my lips and blew on the steaming chocolatey drink for a few minutes before taking a sip. It had a wonderful flavor and I'd missed having hot chocolate from when I'd lived in Forks. Once I'd moved to Phoenix I didn't much have use for it since it stayed warm all year. I could tell the differences though, being able to taste the anise and piloncillo. I marveled over the fact that I'd remembered those two ingredients. I'd seen a recipe for this drink before but had never had a chance to use it. Charlie was more of a straight hot chocolate kind of man when he did drink it and the others preferred eggnog or boiled custard.

"Thank you, Master. It's wonderful." My guts twisted up at the use of the M-word.

He nodded and slowly started draining his own cup as he watched me intently. It didn't take me long to finish it. I noticed the very last drink though tasted a bit funny. I shrugged it off, reasoning that some of the ingredients settled down to the bottom in a concentrated form like all hot chocolate and chocolate milk does. He finished his own and set both mugs aside.

"Go brush your teeth and use the restroom if you need to." He turned around to get the bed ready.

I shuddered and turned around to quickly walk away. I peed and brushed my teeth long enough to have done it twice before making sure the sink was clean and turning around to face the inevitable. I think he'd notice if I tried to sleep in the bathtub.

As I walked back out, I noticed him at the foot of the bed on the far side. I also noticed something big and rectangular covered by a warm looking blanket. Was he going to make me sleep on top of that thing? My gut twisted again as he motioned me over.

Spinning me around where my back was against his chest, he took me by the upper arms and led me over to where we were about three feet in front of it.

"Pull the blanket off." He said softly in my ear.

I leaned forward and grabbed the edge, pulling the blanket off with ease. I saw what he'd been fighting with while I was in the shower.

What I saw made my eyes widen, my jaw drop and had me clutching the blanket to my chest. It was a cage of about three feet wide, three feet tall and four feet long. It looked a lot like a dog kennel but much stronger with the use of iron bars. In it was a four inch thick mattress looking thing that took up the entire space of the bottom and the pillow from the bed I slept on last. This was what he'd meant by earning my bed. This was the punishment he'd talked about.

I shook my head, but with the motion came dizziness. I tried pulling away from him to no avail and realized my fight wasn't up to par. The realization was like a smack upside the head. He'd drugged me. That was the funny last taste of the hot chocolate.

"You drugged me..." I accused with a slight slur.

"I did. I was told of your ride down here when you snapped and started beating against the dividing wall. I don't need you hurt and the both of us need our sleep. That drink was to help you sleep, like I said earlier. Now get in there and lay down like a good girl."

I shook my head and resisted despite knowing the futility. He picked me up by my waist and carried me the last few feet and swung the door open. It took up almost the entire front of it so it wouldn't be hard for him to stuff me in there himself. He lowered me to the floor slowly, the drug taking a more profound effect and robbing me of the ability to fully stand on my own. He let me go once I was sitting and stepped back.

"Don't make me put you in there. You are going in one way or the other. If you do it you'll get your blanket. If I have to, you'll not only lose your blanket privilege but you'll receive a spanking. You've been good, don't ruin it." He advised with an easy tone as if he were explaining two different ice cream flavors to choose from.

I sighed and knew that I would lose if I fought. I also knew that I would be miserable without my blanket and there was no telling how long he'd keep it. I sighed as my vision blurred and a tear dripped from each eye. I turned and crawled in, feeling more and more like his literal pet. The only comfort was that the floor padding was soft and now I wouldn't have to worry about someone doing something to me in my sleep. If they did they'd have to get me out of this cage first or come into it with me and Jasper didn't seem to be the type to have his 'property' messed with.

"Lay down." His voice started sounding farther away and I easily succumbed to the command. My body felt so heavy. I curled up to my pillow as he tossed the blanket in and rearranged it around me where it covered me entirely. I was only awake long enough to register the sounds of the door shutting and the click of a lock as he secured it for the night.

"Goodnight Isabella." His words were faint as they followed me into the darkness.

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AN: Ok, let's get one thing straight before you freak out on me. Be reminded that this is a dark story. If you want sunshine and rainbows, go elsewhere. We will not change Jasper nor will we change her situation. This is the beginning, meaning things will get really dark before we can start heading back towards the light. Just keep that in mind.

Aside from that! We're running our own blog! Come over and check us out! Twilightbetweenthesheets (dot) blogspot (dot) com!

And Remember! If'n you review, you get a sneak peek!


	6. In The Dark

**AN:** We don't own, we just puppeteer.

W just wanted to say Thank You so much for all the reviews, alerts and favorites! We see all this stuff pop up in our box and it makes us jump up and down in excitement and gratitude. We're honored so many of you like it and recommend it to your friends.

A huge Thank You to Kitty Cullen for rec'ing us over at The Darlin's Blog! (jaspersdarlins (dot) blogspot (dot) com). We bounced all over the place when we saw that! You'll get something here in the next few days Sweets! *winks with a grin*

Speaking of blogs, come visit us after you go visit the Darlin's! We're at twilightbetweenthesheets (dot) blogspot (dot) com!

* * *

"_No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."_

-Elanor Roosevelt

**_BPOV_**

Elanor Roosevelt once said that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. My opinion? Elanor Roosevelt never met Jasper Whitlock. How much more inferior could I feel? I ate from the palm of his hand without argument, I kneel by his feet without complaint, and now...now I was sleeping in a dog kennel by the side of his bed. If that doesn't make one feel inferior then that person must be seriously delusional. Everything that I do is nothing more than what a dog would do. Except even a dog had more freedom than I do and I hated that. I resented Jasper for making me do these things against my will. He was a vile man and I would not hesitate to kill him if given the chance. He once said that I was lucky that he bought me and I was not sold on the open auction. I disagree. It wouldn't matter who "purchased" me, I would still be nothing more than a bitch. A meaningless dog. A sex slave even. This was not a life and everyday that passed seemed to lessen my chances of ever escaping from this hell.

"What's the point in going on?" I whispered to myself as I sat up in my cage, pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around my legs.

Maybe it was the effects of the drugs that he tricked me into taking last night that were making me so...depressed. My mind still felt a little fuzzy even though I must have slept at least twelve hours. Looking around the room I could tell Jasper was not in here. The bathroom door was open but the light was off so I didn't think he was in there either. The room was lit up from the sun and from the heat that was in here I would say that it was at least midday.

I reached out hesitantly and touched the lock that was on the outside and knew just from the feel of it that it would take a freaking chainsaw to get that off without the key. The worst part was that sleeping in this god forsaken cage was a punishment for running away. All the other torture methods he used on me was nothing more than something for him to do for his amusement. I felt tears spring to the corner of my eyes and in my mind I could almost see my will to survive crumbling around me like a wall made out of dirt and water. I obeyed him for the past week! I took my spankings, I sat by his feet quietly while he worked and yet I was still being punished! This was never going to end and in my mind, I knew that. Yet a part of my brain was begging me to continue to fight. But the majority of my brain was saying '_Why? What's the point?'._

I don't know how much longer I stayed in the kennel in that same position but my bladder was beginning to wake up and I didn't know how long I could hold it in. I squeezed my legs together even tighter to no avail. I tried humming nonsense tunes to myself hoping to distract myself from the problem but again, all to no avail.

"Please don't let me pee on myself." I prayed up to someone who might be listening to me. I couldn't take that again. Especially if he made me come back in here tonight and make me sleep in my own piss. With the blankets in here it would just soak up the urine and hold the stink in.

I whimpered in pain as my stomach started cramping from the need to go and pressed my forehead to the tops of my knees, tears starting to fall down my cheeks. There was no other option, I was going to wind up soiling myself. Again. Only this time it was much worse.

"I'm guessing you need to use the restroom?" A calm voice asked in what was supposed to be a soothing tone, but came out more as a sneer.

I snapped my head up to see Jasper standing in front of the kennel. I didn't even hear him enter the room.

I tried to glare at him, but as a sharp pain shot through my abdomen it probably came out as more of a grimace. I whimpered slightly again, angry with myself for even showing this weakness. It wasn't my fault and logically I knew that. But emotionally, I just wasn't there yet. I felt like a part of me should have just soiled myself to show him that I would do what I had to do. Repercussions be damned.

"Let's go." Jasper said, unlocking the lock with jingling keys and opening the door to the kennel.

I looked at him one last time to see him watching me expectantly. Without argument I crawled out on my hands and knees until I was fully out of the cage. Then I stood up cautiously making sure to keep my thighs together in hopes of making it to the bathroom. I stood there before him, legs trembling and stomach churning before he finally spoke.

"Well? Go." He ordered, gesturing towards the bathroom.

I sighed in relief and quickly hobbled over to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind me. As I relieved myself I was hit with a thought that was like a punch in the gut. When I got out of the cage I actually waited for his permission to go to the bathroom. I didn't just go. I waited for him to tell me I was allowed to, stomach pains and all. That thought made my already churning stomach twist even more and I barely had the toilet flushed before I was on the floor, bending over the porcelain throne and throwing up bile. I coughed and spluttered as my stomach heaved with nothing more coming out. It wasn't until I felt Jasper's cool hands on my neck did I realize he was even in the room with me. He gently pulled back my hair so that it wasn't hanging in my face, rubbing my back through the cotton camisole.

Even his touches seemed condescending to me and it just made me burn in anger. I wasn't going to ever stop fighting, I swore to myself then and there that I was going to fight back harder. Not enough to send me back into isolation or even get a spanking, but I wasn't going to lose myself. I wasn't going to become a mindless doormat like he was trying to make me. I was strong and I was going to find a way to escape. Immediately.

When my stomach stopped heaving Jasper helped me up on shaky legs, leading me over to the sink. I didn't say a word as he practically held me up while I brushed my teeth. As soon as I was done he led me over to the chair by the vanity in the bedroom, sitting me down gently while he walked back over to the bedroom door.

There he pressed down on the intercom, "Charlotte, bring Isabella's breakfast to my study this morning. Just dry toast and water."

Without waiting for a response back he made his way back to me, smiling. And for a moment I got lost in that smile of his. His blue eyes were such a light shade of blue and I knew from being close to him that around the edges they had a hazel circle around them. I also knew from experience that when he was angry his eyes turned to a dark blue. Dark like the sea. It was almost mesmerizing and had his anger not been directed at me I might have found that fascinating. His smile was also another thing that a girl could get lost in. His lips were a soft pink with the bottom lip fuller than his top. He had so many smiles to match all his personalities. He had a crooked smile where half his face was smiling and the other half wasn't to where it almost looked like a smirk. Then there was his tight lipped smile where his lips pressed together in a tight line. When he had that look on his face I knew that he was not pleased yet he was going to act like everything was fine and then lash out at the last moment. Then there was the smile he was wearing now. It was a small smile, but a smile none the less. His lips were together and shaped upwards, his eyes crinkling at the corners. It was the kind of smile that would make a girls heart flutter and in this moment I felt like there could be more to Jasper Whitlock. That I could be more to him than just some slave. That I could have more of a sentimental value to him. I didn't even realize I had been staring at him the entire time he walked back over to me.

"Can you be a good girl and do your own hair today, or do you need me to do it for you?" He asked his smile changing into a smirk.

Then and there I knew that my hopes and ridiculous thoughts were shattered. I was nothing more than a lap dog to him and it was stupid for me to even think about entertaining the thought that I had more value than what I really did. He was the enemy and always would be and I couldn't afford to get lost in his physical traits when his inner traits were so horrendous. I broke eye contact with him angrily and looked away from the mirror not moving to pick up the hairbrush that was sitting in front of me. He wanted my hair done? He could do it himself.

I kept my hands folded firmly in my lap, twisting my knuckles until they popped.

"Is that your final decision?" He asked from behind me, placing his long fingers over the tops of my shoulders.

In that moment the air around me seemed to get sucked up. It was like all the oxygen on the Earth was gone and I was left stranded. Left to die. I picked up the hairbrush and gasped in some much needed air. Looking into the mirror I saw that my eyes were narrowed and hard and my face was red. Not in embarrassment or a sunburn this time but in pure unadulterated anger. I turned around and jumped to my feet, causing Jasper to step back slightly so that we weren't chest to chest. I gripped the hairbrush in my hands and lunged at him, hitting him as hard as I could with it, anywhere I could. I could feel my hand stinging from the blows, but I didn't care. All that mattered was that I cause El Diablo as much pain as I could possibly muster. The asshole was going to die. Death by hairbrush.

I couldn't tell you how many hits I got on him or even where I connected. I didn't even know how long the struggle lasted for before he got the upper hand. One minute I'm whacking him with the brush and the next minute he has my arms behind my back, his fingertips digging painfully into the crooks of my elbows. He forced us to the ground so that I was on my stomach, his knee pressed into the middle of my back.

"You're like a kitten that thinks she is a tiger. But de-claw the kitten and what does that leave the kitten with to defend herself?" He asked, talking in a normal voice as if this were an everyday conversation with him. As if I didn't just try to beat the hell out of him.

I felt his body shift and soon felt his hot breath by my ear.

"Nothing at all." He whispered.

His play of words wasn't lost on me and I felt my breath hitch. De-claw? Take away my defenses? What did he mean by that?

Without giving me time to dwell on that Jasper pulled me up so quickly that the room spun. Holding on to me tightly he sat down in the vanity chair and pulled me across his lap, dropping my sleep pants at the same time so that my bottom was in the air. I struggled fruitlessly against his hold on me, knowing that not only did I get myself into this predicament but that the punishment this time around was going to be much worse than I had ever had to endure before.

I sobbed openly on his lap just waiting for him to begin the assault of the blows. Instead of beginning though he was rubbing my bottom through my lace panties. The heat from his hand made it more obvious to me that he was touching me and it seemed more intimate to me than when he spanked me with his hand on my bare cheeks.

"Just do it." I begged him still crying. My tears were dropping from the tip of my nose to the carpet.

Instead of answering he continued on with his ministrations on my bottom, the heat contrasting with the cold that I felt inside.

"I know of a better motivator for good behavior." Jasper said and I couldn't tell if he was talking to me or himself, "Yes, I think that this will finally hit home for you just how good you have it here."

And with that he pushed me back up, following suit so that we were standing in front of one another.

"You will be working in the kitchen today after you have had your breakfast," he said looking at me now carefully and holding me at arms length, "Then later this afternoon you will have your punishment."

Without saying another word or expecting me to say anything in return he spun me around and marched me to the bed, placing me at the end of it. I watched as he went and got a dress out of the closet, then turned my gaze to the white, embroidered quilt that lay on the bed. I knew that he was also going to pick out my bra and panties and to me that was something I didn't need to witness.

"Strip." He commanded coming up behind me.

I closed my eyes and shimmied my pants down to my ankles. I could still feel his presence behind me and I knew that he wasn't going to go anywhere. At least he was behind me though and not in front of me. He's already seen my ass more times than I care to count. Quickly stripping off the underwear I replaced it for a light pink, lacy pair that he had picked out then reached out for the light pink, matching bra. The entire time I could feel his eyes burning holes into the back of my head but I didn't acknowledge his presence. I pretended like he wasn't there. Today he also picked out a light pink sun dress that went to just above my knee that had a white flower stitched to it at the bottom right. It was cute... But definitely not something I would wear willingly.

He led me back over to the vanity but this time picked up the brush himself and began working on my hair. I smirked internally at that and for a moment felt good about myself and the fact that I didn't give into him there. Then like a wave crashing against a rock his words came back to me, _'I know of a better motivator for good behavior'. _Just what in the hell did that mean? What was he going to do to me? I was so lost in my jumbled thoughts that the sound of a bell next to my ear made me jump.

"Your dress matches your collar." Jasper observed quietly as he slipped the offending bell back in its place on the pink collar.

Thank you very fucking much captain obvious, I sneered inside my head. What a fucking genius. As soon as he had the bell in place he grabbed me by my upper arm and led me out of the room. It was time to officially start my day in hell. Again. My question was, how many more days was I going to "start" here until God finally took pity on me and took me out of this cruel world?

"_Aw c'mon Bells. You know you wanna." Jake whined while he and Edward sat on the couch, not taking their eyes off the television._

"_Why would I want to cook for two boys who are more than capable of cooking for themselves?" I asked half teasingly. _

"_Because you love to cook for us," Edward said still not even looking at me, "And besides, you don't want us to starve now do you? Do you really want that on your conscious?"_

"_I think I'll get over it quickly." I snapped. _

"Isabella, have you heard a word I've said?"

I snapped my head over to my right where a tender voice was talking in my ear.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" I asked Charlotte sheepishly.

We've been in the kitchen since after I had my breakfast this morning and no offense to the decorator or anything, but I was getting tired of looking at the color brown. Everything in here was in shades of brown. Even the tile that made up the spotless floor.

"I said that I'm going to show you around the lower half of the house and then we'll come back in here and I'll show you how to make Master Jasper's afternoon snack. He said that you were to join him after that." She informed me, I'm sure trying to be helpful.

Instead she caused me anxiety. Was that when he would take care of my punishment? When he first said that he would do it at a later time today, I breathed out in relief. I wasn't going to get spanked then and there and I could hold it off for as long as possible. Now though I was starting to regret him not just doing in then. It had been on my mind all day and it was causing my stomach to constrict in knots. A part of me felt like this was part of his plan. Part of his evilness.

"I can't wait." I muttered under my breath as I followed Charlotte to the swinging double doors of the kitchen.

I followed her around like a lost puppy as she showed me the different rooms of the lower half of the house. What all the rooms were though, I couldn't tell you. There were just too many. We passed many that had closed doors to which she never commented on. We just bypassed them as if they weren't even there. As we came to a full circle we were back in the starting room, which just happened to be the downstairs living area. Only this time it was filled with people. When we passed it earlier it was empty, so where did all these people come from, I wondered to myself.

I looked closely at the people in the room and saw that there were only males in here. Not a female, besides Char and myself, in sight. Some were sitting around on the couches and chairs while others were standing with their arms folded across their chest. As my eyes raked the room I saw Vladmir and Stephan and I instantly tensed. They didn't seem to notice me yet though which meant I still had time to leave before they did. I turned around to ask Charlotte if we could leave when I felt the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Glancing around I saw that Charlotte was talking in the corner with a man who was wearing black slacks and a white button down shirt and black tie. He looked important and something told me that it would be best not to interrupt them. Instead I turned around and my eyes landed on another man. He was standing directly across from me in front of the fire place, his eyes trained on mine. He was too far away to tell what color his eyes were but everything about his presence screamed 'trouble'.

He also was wearing black slacks, a white button down shirt and black tie and like the feeling I got with the other gentleman, I could tell that he was important. To Jasper, no doubt. He had long blond hair that was tied at the back of his neck with what I'm assuming was a hair tie and his lips were turned up in a sneer. There was something about him that told me that I needed to get as far away from him as I possibly could. And fast. He was dangerous and my spidey senses were tingling.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you that it's not polite to stare?" Charlotte's voice hissed into my ear, grabbing me by my arm and leading me out of the room.

"If Master Jasper catches you staring at someone who works for him there will be the Devil to pay." She said, annoyance displayed clearly on her face.

Like I was staring at him because I wanted him! That man, whoever he was, freaked me the hell out. Even though Charlotte was way off with her assumption I let it go. I didn't want to draw attention to myself by asking questions. Maybe it was best if I forgot the whole thing.

"The pitcher of tea is in the fridge and here are the crackers," Charlotte said handing me a package of Club crackers, "Don't forget to keep them in a perfect line in front of the glass of tea. I have to go now but you are to head up to Maser Jasper's study immediately. Understand?"

I rolled my eyes but nodded my head in understanding.

"Got it." I spat.

As Charlotte left the kitchen I just stared at the door after her. She was free to come and go as she wanted and she most certainly was not wearing a collar. On our little tour of the house we didn't run into another female so I didn't know if there were others here against their will like I was, but a part of me felt like there weren't. Something inside told me that I was the only one here who was a prisoner. Shaking my head I walked over to the tray Charlotte set out for me and put Jasper's glass of iced tea on it.

Balancing the iced tea on the small tray, I gingerly picked up the Club crackers and set them next to the glass so that they were lined up perfectly. Too perfectly. But that was how everything was in this God forsaken place. There was no mess, there were no pets or children running amok, everything had a place and in its place is where everything stayed.

I looked around the kitchen and saw that even myself after a certain amount of time here, I was submitting to the "perfect" rule. After making El Diablo his tea and crackers I had put everything away and cleaned up what little mess I had made. Without even realizing I had done so. I was on auto-pilot and it made me want to scream. I wanted to crumble the stupid crackers and drop them on the floor before stomping all over them. Grinding them into the perfect tile with my toes.

Instead I grabbed the tray with both hands and made my way to the door, my collar not letting me forget even for a moment who I was now. Just as I was about to open the door a harsh yet soprano lady like voice filled the air, causing me to jump, sloshing tea all over the crackers.

"Jasper Whitlock!"

I let out a string of profanities and quickly placed the tray on the counter top before I could drop it and draw attention to myself. I looked over to the crackers and saw them soaking up the tea, making them larger and wet. I smirked internally at the sight of the once perfection now ruined.

Remembering what caused this havoc in the first place I tiptoed out of the kitchen, the door swinging behind me, to the bottom of the staircase where a tall blond woman stood with her arms across her chest and her mouth puckered like she just ate a lemon. Next to her stood an even taller man, with curly brown hair, with the body of that of a football player.

"Rosalie," I heard Jasper's voice say as he descended the stairs with his flawless grace, "To what do I owe the honor of such a visit from my favorite sister?" He asked.

I think I choked on my own spit. His sister? I coughed slightly, trying to get my breathing back to normal when the football player man looked my way, making eye contact. Instead of moving away like I probably should have, I just stayed there, crouched down slightly, trying to stay out of sight of everyone else. To my surprise ape man over there didn't say a word about me eavesdropping on their conversation. Instead he just turned his attention back to Jasper and the girl beside him.

"I assume you are going to the open auction this afternoon, am I correct?" The blond woman asked Jasper, her tone just full of disapproval.

"You know I am." Jasper replied easily.

"Emmett and I are coming with you." She demanded.

My mouth dropped open at her blatant disrespect. She came into his territory, yelling Jasper's name at the top of her lungs, and then telling him that she would be accompanying him to some kind of auction. She didn't ask if she could, she flat out told him she would be.

"Why?" Jasper asked, his stance not giving off anything.

"Because I said so. That's why." She said, stating it as if it were as common knowledge as Newton's Law.

I didn't think it was possible for my mouth to open even more, but I'm pretty sure it did at those words. Was Jasper just going stand there and take that from her? Sister or not, was he really going to let her talk to him like that in his own home?

"Okay." He replied with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

I guess he was. Suddenly I was furious. She was a woman. Just like me and she had this power over him. Even if she was his sister, why wasn't he putting her over his knee or demanding respect and being all assholish to her? It was fucking ridiculous! And, why did I care? I watched as Jasper gestured over to Joseph and then whispered something in his ear. I was about to back up and go back to the kitchen when Jasper's hard voice rang out, "Isabella, come here.".

I'm sure my eyes were wide with surprise. The bastard knew that I was standing here the entire time! I swallowed back the bile that managed to make its way to my throat, feeling it burn as it slid down. I walked slowly over to Jasper, my bare feet not making a sound on the hard wood floor. I kept my head up and saw Jasper watching me intently as well as the Ape Man and the vile blond woman. It only took a split second to make eye contact with her but when I did the hate for me rolling off of her took me by surprise. Why in the hell would she have any reason to hate me? I broke away from her icy glare and instead turned back to Jasper. I kept my eyes trained on his as I stepped up to his side. His arm slid around my waist and I tensed slightly. Lately his touches were feeling more intimate. More wrong. And I hated it. I hated that he could make me feel so uncomfortable.

"I suggest we go ahead and leave now so we can get there early enough to do what we need to do." Ape man said boomingly. God, his voice carried like no other. He was like one of those principles or teachers that spoke without needing the microphone at class meetings in the auditorium.

Just then Joseph reappeared with two white sandals in his hand. Jasper took the sandals from him and motioned for me to lift my foot. He bent down so he was on one knee by my foot. I hesitantly lifted my right foot as he slid the sandal on, then buckled the little buckle in the back. After a second he did the same to my left foot before standing back up and putting his arm back around my waist.

"We're ready." He said, walking away from them and to the front door, still pulling me along beside him.

Wait. I was going with him? I was leaving the house? I was going to this auction thing? Without warning my breathing hitched and the room started spinning. He was going to sell me? Was it because I attacked him this morning with the hairbrush?

"Oh dios mio," I heard Jasper mutter as he gripped my forearms roughly, "If you don't calm down right now, Isabella, I will not hesitate to put you over my knee right this second." He threatened.

I nodded my head slightly and felt myself being forced into a chair. Someone, I presumed Jasper, forced my head between my knees and slowly the room stopped spinning and my breathing became less labored.

"You've certainly picked a winner there." I heard the woman sneer.

I didn't care what she thought though. As far as I was concerned she was no better than Jasper. She was a poor excuse of a human being and given the chance I would take her out just as quickly as I would take out El Diablo.

"Don't start with me Rosalie." Jasper said harshly.

Rosalie. That was her name.

"Let's go." Jasper ordered, forcing me to my feet.

I stood up shakily but was thankful when everything stayed in its place. I smoothed out the dress making sure that nothing was showing that shouldn't have been and followed Jasper dutifully out of the house and into the hot air of Mexico. I breathed in the air from outside as a small smile played on my lips. It felt completely amazing to be outside in the air again, I can't believe how much I missed it.

"Jesus Jasper, you need to get the girl out more. She's acting like she's never seen the sun before." Rosalie's snarl came out from behind me, ruining my moment.

I brought my face back down and glared at her only to see Rosalie shooting daggers at Jasper. What the hell was her problem?

"What I do with her is none of your concern." Jasper told her coolly, not even batting an eyelash at her obvious distaste for him.

I watched her closely as she just rolled her eyes and climbed into the car that was sitting in front of us. It was shorter than a limousine yet longer than a regular car. And it was black. Like Jasper's heart. That thought made me snort out loud which in turn caused Jasper to grip my arm tightly in his fingers before practically shoving me in the car after Ape Man, who had been silent this entire time. What was up with that, I wondered idly.

The space inside the car was nice with one long seat that made an L shape within. Rosalie and the other man were sitting side by side holding hands at the end of the longer part, leaving Jasper and I to sit on the shorter part. And since he put me in first I took that as a sign to sit where I wanted. After feeling a sharp slap to my bottom, I yelped slightly before sitting down quickly, as far away from the other two as I could get.

Rosalie snorted while the other guy tried to cover up his laugh with a cough and I could feel my face burn in embarrassment. I sat down with a huff as Jasper shut the door behind him, gripping my hand.

"Get down on your knees in front of me." He whispered into my ear as I felt the car begin to move.

"E-Excuse me?" I stuttered, looking at him incredulously.

My heart started beating erratically against my chest and my hand began to throb as his grip tightened on it.

"Do not make me repeat myself." He said in a deadly whisper.

I tugged my hand out of his but didn't chance on rubbing out the hurt. Instead I cast a wary glance over at our seat mates who seemed to be watching our exchange with indifference. I looked back to Jasper and saw his eyes harden and immediately moved to get into the position he wanted me in. It was difficult trying to maneuver myself onto the floor while holding the bottom of my dress in place so that I didn't show off my goods to the people who were boring holes into the back of my head, but I did it. I lifted the dress slightly and tucked it around me as I settled my bottom on the backs of my heels.

I kept my eyes trained on Jasper's and could have sworn that his lips twitched in what must have been a smile. But the second I looked again it was gone and I was left wondering if I even saw it at all. Jasper raised his hand and ran his fingers down my jawline and over my bottom lip and down my chin. It took every ounce of strength I had in me not to jerk away from his wandering fingers, knowing that he would probably just put me over his lap in front of his sister and her man slut.

"I have rules for you tonight," he began, leaning forward in his seat so that our faces were mere inches a part, "Disobey a rule and you won't sit for a week and you will be in isolation. Understand?"

I gulped nervously at how harsh his voice was and immediately nodded my consent.

"You are not to make eye contact with any kind of male and do not speak to anyone. Even if you are spoken to first. If you talk to me you will call me 'Master' and nothing more. Always stay by my side and do not touch anything or anyone." He commanded, his voice hard yet soft while his hand continued to stroke my jaw.

Our eyes stayed connected and even though I loathed everything he was telling me, a part of me felt like he was telling me this for my own protection. I had no idea what the hell went on in an auction, though I had a good idea. I felt the car roll to a stop and looked out the side window to see that were in front of a big iron gate. Much like the gate that surrounded Jasper's property. I could see the security guard station from where I was kneeling and knew that this place was going to be heavily guarded. We had arrived.

"Do you understand the rules that I have given you?" He asked.

"I understand." I whispered frighteningly looking back at him.

"Say it." He demanded.

I cringed internally and squeezed my eyes shut for a split second, "I understand...Master."

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A/N: Oooo, wondering where exactly Bella's going don't you? Could it be somewhere she's been before maybe? Stay tuned! Remember! Reviewers get teasers for the next chapter!


	7. Into The Underground

Disclaimer: Do not own! Only playing the puppeteer here!

A/N: Hey guys! We won the AH category of the Immortal Sin Awards over at http:/ darksper (dot) blogspot (dot) com/! *Cue screaming and ginormous grins* THANK YOU so, so, so much to all those that voted for us!

Now, here's something else important. We've submitted a piece that's a JPOV for the fandom for preemies! It shows Jasper's POV from the first few chapters where Bella's getting abducted and whatnot. This should give you a little bit of a feel for him. Interested? It'll only cost ya 5 bucks and not only do you get ours, but you'll get a compilation from around 95 or more talented authors! Go to fandomforpreemies (dot) blogspot (dot) com and check out what all they've got to offer!

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She moved with the grace and loveliness that was now hers, that of the female slave. She was stripped, and wore not so much as a collar, but her hair, grown longer now, and slave lovely, fell about her. On her left breast, inscribed there with a marker, in soft grease, was a lot number, the number 117.

-Prize of Gor, Chapter 22, page 699

He softly stroked my jaw one last time with his fingertips before climbing out of the car. Turning, he extended his hand to me, which I took and climbed out after him. His arm slipped around my waist to rest possessively on my hip. He brushed back his ebony blazer to stick his left hand in his pocket and leisurely strolled up to the building with me. I recognized where we were. I'd been here before when I was brought to be 'fixed up' by Makenna. That thought made me wonder if she was still here and if she was okay.

I kept my eyes towards the ground as we approached the tall brick building. I could see sharply dressed men at the entrance out of my periphery and kept his rules in mind. I'd do anything to avoid isolation.

I heard the quiet pleasantries as Jasper brought out what looked like a dark gold membership card and handed it over. They looked at it for a few moments, flipping it over once before handing it back to him. As he reached out and took it with two fingers I could see a photo of him and three white butterfly masquerade masks above his name that was written in a fancy script. As he slid his fingers over it to slip it back in his pocket I could see a name written above the masks. _Balthazar's_. How fitting. An auction house named after a minion of the Devil.

It made me wonder how they didn't get caught doing human trafficking here. My attention was pulled back to the present by a deep voice. "Welcome back, Mr. Whitlock."

I saw Jasper nod cordially as he pulled me against him again and led me inside. The temperature change was immediate and made chill bumps pop up on my arms from the drastic temperature change from outside to in here. I folded my arms under my breasts, hugging them against me and being strangely thankful from the heat being emitted from El Diablo.

The next thing I noticed were the sage colored walls and cream marble flooring. Our shoes clicked on the tiles and it made me hate this place even more. I chanced a peek up and around, seeing large green plants in pots sitting in little alcoves that housed stained glass windows. I don't know how I didn't see any of this last time unless I was brought in the back way. Then again, the last time I was here was much more traumatic and I was mainly all in my head rather than where I was physically so I could have come this way and not remembered it.

We turned from the main entryway and walked down a wide, long carpeted hallway towards a set of double doors at the end. On the right were sets of french doors spaced between fifteen and twenty feet apart. Some were open and some were closed. I chanced a glance in as we passed and saw auction rooms. Although, in these rooms I saw pieces of art, furniture and antiques and many other things. What confused me though, was the name written in script above and behind the auctioneer's podium. I didn't understand at first why its name was displayed as Gabriel's when El Diablo's card read Balthazar's.

When we reached the double doors at the end of the hallway, Jasper reached back into his pocket and retrieved his card again. Something was off about the door handle, I noticed almost immediately. When I looked closer at where the lock should be, I saw a tiny red light. He swiped his card in front of it and the little light turned green before there was a very quiet clicking noise. He grabbed the handle and quickly opened it, pulling me inside and made sure the other two got in before closing it securely.

From my peripheral I could see two other men guarding an elevator. They must have recognized him though because they'd already moved to push the button and nodded to him, to which he nodded back. The shiny silver double doors opened almost immediately. This I recognized. I remembered the doors and seeing my reflection in their mirror-like shiny surface. We entered silently and he pushed a button, causing us to go up. Rosalie and the Ape Man were completely silent and I felt their eyes on me occasionally. This striked me as unusual.

I watched as the lights above the door lit up five times before the doors slid open again. This floor wasn't the one I visited last time. This floor had plush white carpets with red walls, white ceiling and white trim.

Jasper never loosened his hold on me and I never really pulled my gaze from the floor with the exception of when I peeked in the auction rooms, down the long hallway and when we first stepped off the elevator. We passed two doors before we went in one on the right. I pulled my eyes up enough to see if we were alone before looking around the room freely. It looked like a library with an enormous fireplace that had tall wire doors covered in metal designs. They created a picture of the desert landscape complete with cacti, mesas, coyotes, tumbleweeds and a big sun.

While I was admiring the fireplace, El Diablo was off to the side, fiddling with something. I glanced over and saw him messing with three little statues on the floating shelf next to the mantle. The center one was a cacti and the ones on either side were statues of Kokopelli. I recognized the statue as the fertility, music and agricultural deity among Southwestern Native American tribes. Each of the end statues were facing away from the cactus. He studied them for a few moments before sliding the two outer statues to where the three bases were flush against each other. Right after he did that, there was a sound of a heavy lock being unlocked and a quiet pop.

Coming back over, Jasper took me by the waist, my hands automatically going to rest on his shoulders. "Hop." He said quietly. I bent my knees and did as he asked before I could really process it and the next thing I knew I was standing up on the tall stone hearth. He jumped up next to me easily before opening the doors and revealing the back of the fireplace cracked open on one side. A secret door.

Pulling me back against him, he led me through the fireplace and pushed the door open, revealing a pair of jet black elevator doors. Moving us over, he pushed a cream button button but didn't take his finger off of it. The cream slowly turned to red and he waited to pull his finger back when the doors opened. It clicked in my mind then, a fingerprint scanner. Most likely the last line of defense before we got to Balthazar's. The name written on the back of the elevator car made me understand something else as well. Balthazar's was the darker side of things while Gabriel's was the legitimate auction house.

After we were all loaded into the car, El Diablo pushed the button to go down. I counted six floors before getting worried. The place was a five story building, but I expected a basement so that totaled to six. My fears were alleviated quickly though when I heard the ding and the doors began sliding open yet again. It must have been a subbasement.

It was almost disturbing with how close he kept me to him the entire time. We exited the cab and walked into the men walking around. He seemed to be leading me somewhere specific. After a few more minutes though, I could see. I automatically halted and mentally reminded myself that he said I couldn't look at the men, but didn't mention the women. Apparently that was the point of this trip, for me to see them.

They were each on their own little platforms. Each of them having steps that led up onto them and fashioned into two rows. There were women of all kinds. Short, tall, chubby, slender, blonds, brunettes, redheads and skin tones of all sorts. Men circled them loosely, checking out the females they were interested in. I was confused by a few things, noting that some wore what looked like a horse's bit in their mouths. Some had their arms bound behind them to a post and others stood meekly in terror and stared at the ground. They were all naked and they all had a wide ribbon around their necks that were tied into bows. There was a difference in the bows though. Some wore black satin ribbons, some wore red satin ribbons and others wore pink ribbons, although some wore a white ribbon in addition to their other ribbon. I wanted to ask, but was almost afraid of the answer I'd receive so I kept my mouth shut.

Apparently Jasper saw the gears turning behind my eyes because a moment later he brushed my hair behind my shoulder and leaned in to speak very quietly in my ear. I involuntarily shuddered from the proximity of his lips to the shell of my ear. My skin was crawling form the scene in front of me and from the proximity of his lips to my skin. His hands rested on my waist as he began to lead me forward slowly once again.

"Their bows are significant, representing their nature. Ones with black bows will be the hardest to break. The ones with red bows will be challenging but will succumb faster than the ones with the black bows. The ones with pink bows are the docile ones. Typically they've already been owned or were bred to be sold. They were raised to be totally submissive and ready for a new Master." I involuntarily halted at that, almost causing him to run into me. People were bred to be sold? He spoke of them as if they were animals! I supposed in his world though, that's how he looked at some people. Like the caste system in some cultures. I shuddered in disgust. I just couldn't wrap my head around it. I had a feeling this entire experience would come back to haunt me for quite some time.

I caught sight of one with both a pink and a white bow. She was young, probably between sixteen and eighteen. I couldn't hear from here, but someone had commanded for her to open her mouth. Her blue eyes were unfocused, like she'd checked herself out for the event and went on autopilot. A large hand grasped her jaw gently, not wanting to damage the goods I supposed, and turned her head this way and that. When he pulled her cheek aside it was evident he was inspecting her teeth. My stomach rolled and I wanted so badly to throw up but I was still admant in my resolve not to go back to the isolation room and that included not embarrassing Jasper.

I took slow, deep breaths, closing my eyes until that immanent feeling of vomiting left. When I opened my eyes again, he was looking at me intently, leaned slightly around my side so he could see my face as I processed it all. He looked at me steadily, almost expectantly. I licked my lips nervously and looked back to the girls. He resumed with what he was talking about momentarily afterwards.

"The ones with the white ribbons are virgins. They're all inspected by a gynecologist that Bal has on his payroll. He does a typical round of tests to see if they have STD's and other general health issues and of course to verify that they are in fact virgins. You can guess why some of them are wearing the bits or bound or both." He glanced to me, apparently expecting me to answer him. I thought for a minute before answering.

"They tried to bite? Or fight? Or both?" I whispered to him in question. He responded with a nod.

"Yes. They tried successfully or unsuccessfully to bite or claw their way away. As you can see it was futile. They were bound and the biters were gagged as well." He walked us farther along the line, in front of the platforms as men circled around them like vultures studying their prey. I watched, sickened, as men evaluated them by touching their hair, looking at their teeth, squeezing their breasts and bottoms, stroking their skin to check it's quality. I silently wondered how the biters had their teeth checked.

Then I saw the bit gag being removed from a redhead and her jaw being forcibly opened long enough to stick an O-ring gag in. It had what looked to be rubber tubing that extended back an inch from the ring to keep her teeth from being able to clamp down and forcing her mouth to remain open as long as it was in. One man hooked his finger between her lip and the ring, pulling it to the side some and shining a penlight in as another man held the woman's head still. Her eyes were wild and filled with hate. I didn't blame her, I would be too. I was sure mine had instances where they were like that as well.

We didn't pause again, but slowly walked between the dual rows of platforms. I noticed this huge underground area wasn't like the rest of the place. It had thick navy velvet curtains lining the walls. I supposed they were hiding rooms or alcoves or something from those that didn't know about them and that needed to remain secret. The floors were ash blonde hardwood as were the platforms. Two walls were lined with theater like seats in rows with each row being slightly more elevated than the one in front of it.

In the center of the room was a large ash blonde platform that was about six feet high and had a matching podium. There was a slightly elevated three by three foot block on the corner closest to where the audience would be. It was where they had them stand to give the best view for the bidders. He came back by my side again as we rounded the end of the platform lane and headed us towards the seating area.

We sat on the bottom row off to the left side of the stage. As the seats started filling up I noticed something. There were several members of the audience who were wearing one of those white butterfly masks like on Jasper's _Balthazar's_ card. When I looked to him, he was relaxed and reclined back in his seat, legs crossed and the index finger of his left hand running along his bottom lip. He must have felt my eyes on him because he glanced to me with slightly raised brows. I gulped and decided that I may as well ask him. If nothing else he could always tell me he didn't know and to hush.

When I leaned toward him, he leaned towards me in turn, tilting his head away so my lips would be at his ear. Like his had been to mine when he was explaining everything to me. I repressed a shudder before asking my question.

"Master," I felt like I'd bitten into a crab apple by saying it on my own. "Why are so many wearing masks?" I whispered my query quietly into his ear. He turned his head and so did I so I could hear him.

"Because, Isabella, not all us can afford to be seen or recognized. Some feel the need to protect their identity from others floating around here. The list _could_ be found out I suppose. Bal has a master list. He knows every single person here. They are here on invitation or request only." His answer made a lot of sense and I didn't know why I didn't think of it. It was like a VIP party. If you weren't on the list, you didn't get in.

I nodded quietly and settled back into my seat again. When most everyone was in their seats, the first was brought to the block and she was wearing a pink bow. It made me think of lambs being brought to slaughter. She was the same one I'd watched have her teeth inspected. She still had that same look in her eye and it made me wonder if she'd always been like that. If her eyes had always been so dull. Maybe she had moments she had to herself where the light came back and she was more than just a resemblance of a reanimated corpse.

The auctioneer started the bidding at seven hundred thousand dollars. Immediately there were white paddles flashing up here and there as the numbers got higher and higher. Finally after three and a half million, the auctioneer ended things.

"Going once... Going twice... Sold! To bidder number 2545. Remember! Please wait until the end to pick up and pay at the office behind the display area."

Never once did she raise her eyes or try to cover herself. She stood there with her arms to her sides, her posture perfect and her eyes glued to the stage floor. When she was called towards the back to the stage after the bidding was over, she promptly turned and went back to him with her eyes still towards the floor.

They sold the women off in groups by ribbon color. Most of the ones who wore pink ribbons stood and acted the same. Eyes on the floor, excellent posture, obvious submissive tendencies. They were meant for people who didn't want to work much to get the perfect slave. They were nearly perfect for them already.

The ones with the red and black ribbons were a different sight all together. They had to be carried on stage due to being tied into different positions with ropes. Some were on their knees with their hands behind their backs. Some had their hands tied behind or above their heads. Some unfortunate few were tied to where they were kneeling with their chests to the ground and their arms tied behind them. Forced into the ultimate submissive pose. One thing they had in common though was that they were all tied securely to a post that stuck up in the middle of the platform.

Even from where we sat, you could see the fire in their eyes, could feel the hatred as it rained out onto the audience. They would be hard to break and I was willing to bet that some would lose their lives either from attempting to run away or from attacking the man that purchased them. That's what seemed to attract several of these men though. They were truly sadistic and obviously had no issue doing whatever it took to strip them completely of themselves and turn them into their perfect little doll. They definitely fetched a higher price. Most likely because of the fight that was promised to their new owners, the challenge of it all.

One woman who was wearing a black ribbon caught my eye in particular. Most of the others struggled against their bonds and glared, but this one sneered and glared and clearly spoke promises of what would happen should any of them dare to buy her. She had waist length auburn hair that had been styled into a messy braid and pulled into a thick bun at the base of her head before she was brought on stage. Her fair complexion almost glowed underneath the bright lights and her crystal blue eyes sparkled with the different emotions running through her. She was gorgeous, smart and fiery. She definitely fetched a pretty penny.

I sat, statue still, throughout the entire ordeal. I couldn't bring myself to move, being so deeply lost in my thoughts. I was so focused on them and my thoughts that I paid little mind to anything else. My mind drifted to the morbid when I thought of where they were going and what they were about to go through. I pondered on their different backgrounds and where they may have came from. My mind went in so many directions and I was so deep into that train of thought that I had to clench my jaw shut and not squeak in surprise when Jasper lightly touched my arm. My eyes shot to him and my brow raised in question.

He leaned in and I turned my ear to him again. "Bal would like to meet you. You may look at him and you may speak to him when he speaks to you. Be polite and on your best behavior. Understand?"

Instead of giving me his ear, he looked me in the eye and held my gaze for a moment to let me in on his seriousness. I was basically cheek to cheek with him when I leaned in to whisper "Yes, Master." into his ear.

He looked pleased when he leaned back into his seat and folded his hands against his stomach while his elbows rested on his armrests.

I wanted to slap him.

We watched the final one be sold off to one of the masked men before people began to trickle out. The buyers headed back to the office where they were formerly indicated to go to complete their purchase.

We on the other hand went to the other corner of the room. Jasper led us to the corner and pulled me in front of him before glancing around and slipping us both behind the thick blue velvet. We were in an alcove at a door now. He knocked twice before a silky voice bade us to enter. He opened the door and I took sight of Balthazar himself.

He was a handsome man that was probably in his late forties with clear, sharp eyes and an angular jaw. His dark hair was slicked back and had curls in the ends. His eyes were dark, like his hair but he had fair skin. He wore a black vest atop a crisp white shirt and I could spot a maroon coat hanging from the corner of his chair. Something prodded at me in my mind and made me think that he most likely belonged with the Russians. His accent when he spoke confirmed it.

"Jasper my friend! Come in, come in! Long time no see." He motioned us in with both hands and I took notice of a thick cigar he was smoking. My eyes went to inventory his desk but everything was covered in papers, pens and newspapers with the exception of an ashtray.

"It has been quite some time hasn't it Bal? My apologies. You must come out and spend a weekend with us sometime." At the sound of his voice as he extended the invitation, I could tell that this was more than just politeness and niceties. Bal was an actual friend.

"That would be wonderful! Your female chef, Charlotte makes the most wonderful dishes. Her borscht reminds me of my mother's back home." He smiled slightly and sighed a bit wistfully.

"Then I shall have her make some of that during your stay with us... Tell me Bal, what have you been up to lately?" He gave me a gentle nudge, indicating me to take the chair I'd unknowingly moved in front of. We sat at the same time but instead of relaxing back, I kept my back straight and folded my hands in my lap, quietly observing.

"Oh, you know, all the things that come with operating the 'other side' of the house. Arranging items to transport the girls in, getting the girls, getting them primped for sale-" That was about the time I zoned out. It was hard enough being here, but to actually hear about the business would probably cause another disastrous mood swing where I would do something like jump across the desk and attempt to ring his neck. That would most likely result in my death and if not then my punishment would be to the extent to make me wish I was dead. I came out of my morbid musings to see where they were in their conversation just in time to hear him ask Jasper what he'd been up to.

In response, he took a side glance at me. With this action came the idea that maybe Jasper didn't always stay cooped up in his office. He'd probably been there because he'd had me drug me down here and now we were both miserable.

"Bal, I'd like for you to meet Isabella. Isabella, say hello to Bal." He said as he kept his eyes on mine.

I paused and kept his gaze but for a second before turning and looking right into the eyes of the friend and minion of El Diablo. "Hello, sir."

I thought politeness was the way to go at the current time and apparently I guessed right. Bal's lips formed into a charming grin.

"It's nice to finally meet you Isabella. I've heard much about you." He eyed me speculatively and I wondered what he'd been told.

My eyes slid to Jasper a moment to give him a questioning look before looking back to Bal. "It's nice to meet you too, sir." I gave him a hesitant smile and the feeling felt so foreign. I hadn't really smiled since I'd been captured. Before I could think too far on this Bal looked at something above the doorway and his eyes slide back to Jasper.

"Things should be about ready Jasper." His look is a serious one and I can read the question of 'Are you sure?' in his eyes. I chance a glance to Jasper who responds to the silent question. His eyes telling Bal 'Absolutely.' with no wavering.

They both stand and it cues me to stand as well. I glance back towards the door to see a clock. This must have just been something to pass time until whatever he wanted me to see was ready. I felt my gut roll in anticipation and dread. I just knew this wasn't going to be good.

"Two weekends from now Bal?" I turned in time to see the Russian nod with a warm smile for his friend before he turned to me. "Until next time Isabella." He extended his hand to me and I took it, shaking it before replying "Until next time, Sir.".

Jasper placed his hand on my lower back and led me back out the door and through the curtain. We made to head towards the exit and I caught sight of a few people milling around, cleaning up and whatnot. I about stumbled when he made a sharp left, approximately twenty feet short of the exit. Apparently there was another secret room he was taking me in because we were headed straight for the curtained walls again. I faintly wondered if we were going to find the Wizard behind one of them.

He pushed a door open silently and slipped in, pulling me after him and closing the door soundly behind us, locking it. There were two arm chairs facing a dark room. He motioned to one and sat in the other. I followed suit silently. I had millions of questions, but truly wanted answers to none of them. I crossed my arms and tapped my fingers nervously against my forearm. Before much longer a door in the other room was opened and when the lights in there came on, ours went off. They drug in a shapely brunette, struggling and yelling through her gag as best as she could the entire way. Her hair was up in curls and she wore a red bow around her neck. That meant she was a fighter.

She was drug to the middle of the room before her bow was pulled off and stuffed in the man's pocket. He was wearing a mask so I couldn't really tell was he looked like. He had four other men with him who all wore masks as well. They all began to disrobe and hang their clothing on hooks behind them. The man in the middle of the floor removed her gag and she began to scream at him. That lasted for all of two seconds before he delivered a slap sharp enough to send her careening to the floor.

I could see the fire rage in her eyes with indignation at being slapped. Her cheek was bright red already but she scrambled back to her feet and attempted to attack him this time. He neatly dodged her and simply delivered another sharp slap, this time to her other cheek. He made a motion to the others and two arose. One picked up some rope and the other tossed the main guy something black. He adjusted it in his hand and waited for her to get back up. This time it took her a little bit longer, but up she got again.

The other two grabbed her by the arms when she went after the man again. She opened her mouth and got out "You can't d-" before he shoved what looked to be like one of those gags the kept the biters from biting as they had their teeth inspected and secured it behind her head. The other two men took out a length of black rope and secured her from her wrists to her elbows behind her back before popping her behind the knees and guiding her to the ground when they buckled.

They took the rope and flung it up, over a single thick wooden beam that ran the width of the room and pulled until her arms were high in the air and it forced her to remain bent. They cut off a length of that rope and proceeded to tie her legs where she was forced into her kneeling position . They were fast and efficient and didn't give her much time to fight back or try to squirm.

After she was bound to their satisfaction the other men took hold of a table and began bringing it over as soon as they lifted her off the ground. Once she was settled on it, they took the rope that was attached to her arms and tightened it again to force her back into the position they were after. After she was in place they tightened cuffs around her ankles, restricting her movement almost entirely.

My heart thudded in my chest as I realized what exactly was going to happen. All the men were now sporting prominent erections and were beginning to surround her. First though, the man that purchased her took out his own cock from his pants and began to trace along her face, smearing the fluid leaking from his tip along her features. After a few moments, he roughly shoved it into her mouth and began pumping in and out at a rapid pace. I could hear her sounds of protests and see the tears that began to trickle from her tightly closed eyes. Before he was finished, he pulled out and went around to the other side and stood between where her feet hung off the table.

She was wet by no means, but that was no issue for he had the saliva that coated him from her mouth and he slid into her effortlessly. He fucked her despite her warbling protests and pleas to stop. Her tears turned from streams to rivers as she was systematically violated. He was taking her in every way he could before he would share her. After another five or so minutes, he withdrew from her depths again, this time to penetrate her last available orifice. He was not gentle and he did not stop or slow down. Her screams reverberated in my ears and the sight of her face as precious things were ripped from her was burned into my mind. His moves hastened into a frenzy before he stiffened and pushed himself flush against her. He remained still a moment or so before catching his breath and pulling away.

He motioned to the others and they began having their fill of her as well. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to break through the window and kill each and every man in that room. I was frozen. I could barely blink let alone make any real thought process.

After each of them finished, they redressed casually and strolled out the door until it was just the girl and her new master left. She had a puddle of tears on the floor beneath where she lay her head on the edge of the table. Her eyes were slightly vacant. I felt dizzy for a second before I heard the quiet words of Jasper. "Breathe, Bella." And so I did, I took a slow, deep breath to keep myself from vomiting up everything in my system from the horror I had just witnessed.

The man looked towards the door as it opened and nodded to the man in white scrubs and a surgical face covering that had just entered the room with a cart. From here I could see a blue round cylinder and some metal rods sitting atop of the cart. The masked man got up and went over with the guy who appeared to be a doctor. The stood directly behind the female who was still stuck with her behind slightly in the air. They were motioning to areas on her thighs and on her buttocks. Finally they came to some kind of conclusion and the man went to sit back down. The doctor on the other hand, picked up the blue cylinder and I could now see that it was a torch.

A gasp ripped from me and I whipped my head over to find him staring at me as I stared at him wide-eyed.

"Please, please don't make me watch this Master, please!" I begged. I would do anything to avoid this. If I didn't see it, then it wouldn't be completely real in my mind on some level. If I saw it, I knew I'd see it behind my eyelids for ages and I didn't want that memory with me.

"Isabella, you spoke in your sleep of how it didn't matter that you weren't auctioned off and I wanted you to see, really see, how much better you have it with me, rather than with some stranger with morals that are way below even my own. With me, I provide you with a warm bed, nutritious food, nice clothes and easy work when I require it of you. I don't molest you or rape you or whore you out to my men. I don't beat you, either. If you want to know what a real beating is, we can visit Makenna next and speak with her. I've spanked you and slapped you the one time when you spit in my face. I tolerate being spit on by _nobody_. Had it been anyone else I would have pulled out my .45 and blown their brains out. I feel like you need to witness all of this as your punishment and so you shall or you will be punished again by a different method." He leaned towards me throughout his little speech until his face was close to mine, his eyes deadly serious.

My heart dropped and my eyes fell as I nodded silently. Any other punishment would most likely mean the cage for longer and without the comforts of it, or being stuck in the isolation room for who knows how long. I drug my eyes back up just as the man finished cleaning the area of her skin to be branded. He drew the pattern on and then picked his torch back up first. I supposed he was taking inventory before he really began when he picked it up the first time. Jasper's sigh took my eyes back to him again.

"Maybe I should have just taken you to the fighting rings and showed you those. Not only are there dog fights and cock fights, but also slave fights. They watch two of them fight to the death with the promise that if they get through the gambit, they'll earn their freedom. The catch is, it never ends. The girl just makes tons of profit for her Master if she's a seasoned fighter. Is that what you need to see? Go to one of these fights and watch as they rip each others hair out? See the crazed look in their eyes? Watch them fight and brutally kill one another? Is that what you really need to put you on the level?" His voice was quiet, contemplative. I'm sure imagining if it would do more 'good' than having me here.

I imagined this for a split second before I was shaking my head wildly. This was bad enough, but to watch two slaves fight for the death? If I thought this was hard to handle, I couldn't imagine being made to stand ringside for that. "No, Master! Please don't take me!" I hated that I had to beg, but I wasn't above begging to be able to avoid _that_ situation in particular.

He eyed me for a second, "Are you going to be a good girl and take the rest of your punishment with no more fuss?" his eyebrows raised at the end and he gave an expectant look.

"I'll be good, Master." That was a genuine promise. Since I'd been there, the thought of me promising him something other than a slow painful death seemed ridiculous but I'd promise just about anything to get out of seeing a slave death match. I quickly turned my eyes back to branding that was taking place in the next room.

He slowly ran the flame of the torch over the section of the brand until it was red hot. He then lined it up with the drawing and I could tell there were four sections to be burned on. He slowly pressed the brand against her skin, it instantly blooming red. I couldn't hear it from here but my imagination instantly conjured up the hissing noise that accompanied a burn like that. I could see her muscles as she attempted to jerk and twist as she screamed and screamed and screamed in gut wrenching anguish. They had her bound securely enough where she couldn't move hardly at all. He didn't hold the brand there long, but it was more than long enough in my mind. I watched as he did the last three pieces and could never remember a time where time itself had drug my so slowly. I concentrated on my breathing and making sure everything in my stomach stayed where it was.

I could tell in the end the design she now carried. It was the initials JMC in script with a delta triangle underneath it. As he cleaned the freshly inflicted wounds, Jasper stood and offered his hand to me. I took it in a daze, the scene that had just occurred playing over and over and over in an endless loop before my eyes. My eyes remained glued to the floor as I processed everything and I reevaluated my situation. It sent a chill down my spine to realize how right he was in how well I was treated at his house. It gave me a complex because I didn't want to give in to him at all and I wanted to _hate_ him with the entirety of my being. On the other hand, I couldn't help but be grateful that he didn't do **any** of those things to me. My greatest fear was being turned into a sex slave but he hadn't stepped one toe out of line in that area.

I didn't process anything as he led me out. I was lost to myself and my thoughts. He didn't have to pull me to him this time and I leaned against him, desperately seeking some sort of heat to chase away the cold that had settled inside me. Before I knew it, we were in the car and on our way home. I wrestled with myself over every emotion. I had the urge, the pull to be grateful for being spared those horrors but the other side of me screamed that even though he didn't do that, it didn't make what he'd done any more right. The two parts of my psyche wrestled around for the rest of the silent ride and as we pulled back up to the gated entryway I came a conclusion.

I concluded that despite the fact that it didn't make what he did okay by any means of the imagination, I could be grateful that he didn't do anything _truly_ horrendous to me. Like put a red hot piece of metal to my skin to mark me as his for the rest of my life. I could be grateful that despite the hell I was in, it was a better hell than that other girl was going to have to endure.

As the house came into view, glittery spots began to swim before my vision. The toll of the day was finally crashing down on me and my mind reacted the only way it knew how to. The car came to a slow stop at the walkway and as I went to get out of the car, the world went black. I felt a pair of strong arms catch me from the descent I was making to become acquainted with the ground.

"Isabella!" was the last thing I heard before the black bliss swallowed me.

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Note: Teasers will probably be sent out Monday. My PIC is going out of town and i'mma be working 12 hours a day until Monday. So please be an eensy bit patient with us! Thanks!

She moved with the grace and loveliness that was now hers, that of the female slave. She was stripped, and wore not so much as a collar, but her hair, grown longer now, and slave lovely, fell about her. On her left breast, inscribed there with a marker, in soft grease, was a lot number, the number 117. _(Place: outside of Brundisium during a Camp Festival, lot number is for the upcoming slave auction)_ (Prize of Gor, Chapter 22, page 699)


	8. Bring Me To Life

Disclaimer: It all belongs to SM. We're only the puppeteers.

**A/N: This chapter doesn't require the use of your flashlights. Promise. **

**A couple of things for those of you who are going to (or already have) donated to the Fandom For Preemies and have read (or going to read) our outtake. There is a song reference in there that we (and by "we" I mean Siobhan2006), forgot to credit where she got the idea for that particular lyric. VegaTenshi gave us that idea and we want to make sure that credit is given to her for her plain fuckawesomness :) **

**On top of that we want to give her a special shout out for becoming our first (and only!) pre-reader for this crazy piece of work we like to call, Learning to Kneel. If you haven't checked out her story, "Control" here on FanFiction, then you must go do that after you read and review this chapter! It's a story that you definitely don't want to be missing out on! :) **

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_"Check my vital signs and know I'm still alive, and I walk alone." -Greenday_

**BPOV**

"_Open your mouth."_

_I struggled fruitlessly against the bonds that had my hands immobile behind my back which were bound to my ankles. I was on my stomach on some sort of cold, metal table wearing only a red bow around my neck. _

"_Aw, she's a fighter. Fight while you can little Bella, we'll fuck it out of you." _

Beep...Beep

_My eyes widened as the man in the mask grabbed my jaw forcibly in his hand, prying my lips apart with his dirty fingers. I could taste the dirt and sweat there and I struggled to bite the fingers that were invading my mouth. _

"_No!" I screamed. _

_Unfortunately that's just what they were waiting for. In that split second that my mouth opened the masked man thrust his penis inside and down my throat causing me to choke and gag around him._

"_Breathe through your nose." He grunted, still forcing himself down my throat to the hilt. _

Beep..Beep..Beep

"Heart rate is accelerating."

"Panic attack."

"_Dude, you have got to feel her hot little mouth wrapped around you. She's like nothing I've ever felt before." The masked man said through his teeth, his head thrown back in ecstasy. _

_I violently shook my head 'no' as the masked man looked over the top of my head, ignoring my silent plea. _

"_How about I stick my dick in her pussy and then we'll trade off." The unknown man suggested. _

_The masked man thrust his cock deeper in my throat before ripping off his mask. _

"_Do it." He commanded. _

_I looked up into the eyes of my attacker and gasped as his features were frozen in my brain. The blondish hair pulled back in a pony tail with a sneer on his face. It was the same man that I saw before in the living room at Jasper's place. _

"_No!" I screamed loudly just as I felt a surge of pain from behind me._

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Blood pressure sky rocketed."

"Hit her lower back on the nightstand when she fell. That will leave a nice bruise."

"Sedating her now."

"I'll see you soon, Isabella."

I struggled against the darkness that was trying to take over my brain and could vaguely hear the voices surrounding me. Even then it was only bits and piecesIt was the last voice that I heard that I tried to cling to. He might have been my captor but he was also the only one who had the power to make that nightmare become my reality and I would do anything it took to keep that from happening. I tried in vain to open my eyes against the sedation that I could feel overcoming my body, but it was to no use. Instead I surrendered to the darkness and would hopefully leave my nightmare behind.

_Hours later..._

Disoriented and confusion were the two emotions I had coursing through me as I blinked against the bright light in the room. It didn't take me more than two seconds to realize that I was back in the guest room, in the bed. Just like before when I slept in this very same bed to recover from my failed escape attempt.

What in the hell happened?

I tried to sit up slowly but found that I couldn't. Confused, I looked down to see that I was strapped to the bed. There were thick pieces of blue straps across my chest, stomach, knee caps and ankles. And my wrists were tied to either side of the bed. It was then that my survival instincts kicked in and my body began thrashing against the confinements. I could vaguely hear a loud piercing sound, but even that didn't really compute inside my head. All that I could hear was the sound of my heartbeat in my ears and a tiny voice, that sounded oddly like Charlie, telling me to run for my life.

"Calm yourself Isabella!" A voice commanded me from the side.

"Do you want the doctor to come in here and sedate you again?" He asked.

I looked to my right to see Jasper standing beside the bed, a look of alarm on his face. It was when I made eye contact with him that the shrilling sound stopped, but then my throat began to burn intensely. Oh, it was me. I was screaming? I must have looked confused because Jasper's face went from alarmed to calm in a split second.

"You're fine." He said running his hand over my hair, "We had to confine you so that you wouldn't hurt yourself again." He explained.

"Master," I whispered in a panic, "I don't understand. What happened?"

I blinked away the tears that were threatening to escape and clenched my fists tightly so that I could feel my nails digging into the palms of my hands. The pain almost made me want to cry tears of joy. Pain meant that I was still alive. It meant that I could still _feel_, as vague as that sounded. But then another part of me wanted to weep in sadness. It almost meant that I was still trapped in this life as a slave, never to be free again.

"You fainted when we got back here." Jasper said, oblivious to my inner battle, "We got you up to the guest room where you then proceeded to have a nightmare and flipped out of the bed, hitting your back on the nightstand. You'll probably be sore there for a while, by the way." he added, "We had to strap you down and then sedate you to calm you down. It was that or put you in the hospital."

I didn't say anything more as he continued to look at me with a blank expression on his face. My heart was beginning to slow and my breathing became regular once more. Fainted. That happened to me a lot it seemed like. But then again, anyone who had to witness the things I did probably would have done the same. I quickly shoved the images of the girls flesh burning and her screams out of my head as a wave of nausea coursed through me. I felt a tingling in my cheeks as my face drained of color and knew that I was about to be sick. As if sensing my panic, Jasper pulled out a pink basin right in time as I turned my head to the side and was instantly sick in it. I coughed and sputtered and dry heaved until there was nothing left inside my stomach to let out. Tears streamed down my cheeks as the humiliation burned within me.

I didn't even register the sound of the restraints coming undone as Jasper made quick work of them before gathering me in his arms. I sniffled and struggled against him weakly before giving up. It was no use. Instead I grabbed onto his shirt with my fist and buried my head in his shirt and cried. I felt weak, not only physically but emotionally. And that thought only made me cry harder. I knew that I had reason to fear Jasper, what with all the talk of the firearms and explosive devices that he spoke of when he was in his office, but it never really hit home for me just how much I really had to fear. He said he would never take me against my will, but he was a man. And I was a woman who was not going to give into him sexually, so what happens when he gets fed up with waiting for me to 'come around'? What happens when he finally sees that I would never give in to his neanderthal ways? He could change his mind on everything. He could end up raping me, branding me and even gang raping me, just like that poor girl we saw yesterday. Who was to say that he would keep his word when he said he would never do that to me? Another thought that struck me was the fact that he could still sell me and I could end up like those other girls.

He was right in one aspect though. With him, I was definitely treated better than those girls at the auction. But it didn't change the fact that we were all the same. We were all slaves. And we were in this life until we died. I felt Jasper's arms tighten around me and I reveled in the feeling of some physical intimacy. It had been so long since I had a hug, or even just a touch of affection that I didn't realize just how much my body had missed it. I was sick. I was getting twisted and I was almost as fucked up as the man holding me. He kidnapped me. He was holding me against my will and here I was clinging to him like a child, just begging him with my actions to hold me closer and to never let me go. I relied on him to keep me safe, to feed me...I even relied on him for my bathroom needs. I relied on him in every sense of the word and I hated to admit it but even in the worst of times, he had never neglected me to the point of abuse... Not yet, at least.

"Calm down, mi chica bonita," He whispered into my hair, "I've got you."

Yes. He does have me. In more ways than one.

"Let go." He commanded of me, gently removing my hands from their fist iron grasp of his, now crinkled, white shirt.

I straightened out my fingers and gasped as pain shot straight through them. I didn't realize that I was holding on so tightly. Jasper then set me down on the cold tile floor of the bathroom on my feet where he then proceeded to fill up the bathtub full of water. I stood there in a trance and watched as he bent over the tub, his arms moving around and putting things into the water. What he put in there though, I couldn't tell you. It was like I was on autopilot and my brain was only letting me see what it wanted me to. So much so that I didn't even see when Jasper was no longer bending over the tub but was instead directly in front of me.

"Arms up." He said.

Like an obedient slave, my arms went above my head before I could even register their movements. Auto pilot for sure.

I stared straight ahead of me at Jasper's shirt covered chest as he slowly slipped my dress over my head, leaving me in nothing but the lacy underwear. My nipples pebbled against the cold air, but I couldn't find the muscles in my arms to cover myself. Instead my arms hung limply by my sides as my legs lifted up one by one so that he could remove the panties. What was happening to me? I felt a tug on my upper arm and looked back to Jasper to see that he was trying to guide me over to the tub. Mildly surprised that I didn't even see him move, I followed him to the tub and climbed in as he suggested.

"Lay back."

I did as he said and felt the end of the tub against my back, but it wasn't cold like I was expecting. Instead it was hot. Like the bath water. I couldn't bring myself to wonder why though. Did it really matter if it was warm or cold? My body was in the tub but my mind was back at the Auction house with all those girls. The bits in their mouths. The rope tied around their bodies so they were immobile. The branding. I shuddered at that memory, which Jasper took to as I was chilled. I felt him raise my upper body so that I was hunched over my knees, running hot water down my back, and rubbing it in with a wash cloth. His hands were everywhere, rubbing in some kind of sweet smelling soap, and my body responded to him. Well. Too well. As his hands rubbed across my chest my nipples hardened almost painfully. It had been too long since they were shown any kind of affection from someone besides me and they were reveling in the fact that a man's hands were on them. Jasper's hands were rough as he rubbed in the soap, and every time his thumbs brushed over my nipples it sent a shock straight to my core that was weeping in anticipation of being shown just as much affection as my breasts were. I squeezed my eyes shut and willed my body to shut down. To not feel, just like the rest of me was, but it was to no avail.

Just when I thought I couldn't take anymore he removed his hands and began to rinse me with a small cup that he pulled up out of nowhere. My brain was relieved that he was done and yet my body was protesting with every fiber of its being. Jasper quickly rinsed me off, then pulled me out of the bathtub and into a towel. I stayed perfectly still while he rubbed me dry, his hands not leaving the towel so I didn't get to feel his skin on mine again. It was when he stood back up and was about to lead me out the bathroom door that I balked. I glanced up at the mirror at that exact second and my eyes refused to believe what they saw. I saw me. Only it wasn't me. It was a shell of the person I used to be. My brown hair was messy and wet, the curls already beginning to form. Looking even further down to my stomach I winced as I could see my hip bones sticking out a little further than normal. I looked like a freak. But it wasn't my hair, or my obvious lack of body weight that caught my eye. It was the brown, lifeless eyes staring straight back at me. I could remember a time where they practically sparkled from life and now? Now they were dead. They had seen too many of the evils of this world to ever go back to the life they once had. And that scared me more than anything.

_The next day..._

"What happened to your friend down at the Border Control?" Jasper asked, his voice calm.

"Any casualties?"

Jasper continued on with his conversation on the phone while I mindlessly turned the pages in my new book that he got me. What was the title of the book? I had no idea. I think I saw the name Jeremiah in there somewhere though. Instead, I stared at the pages, the words blending together not making any sense. How long we had been in his office, I didn't know. My bottom was a little numb, but nothing I couldn't handle. Sitting on the stool for long periods of time did that. A snap of fingers next to my ear forced me to look up to see Jasper watching me with an unidentifiable look on his face, a chocolate topped cookie in between his fingers. Knowing what he wanted, I immediately locked my lips around the cookie, taking care not to use my teeth. I chewed aimlessly, looking back down at the book on my lap. The chocolate melted in my mouth immediately but it did nothing for my taste buds. Instead it tasted bitter, and left me thirsty as I finally managed to choke it down.

It had been two weeks and three days since Jasper took me out of this place and to the Auction House, but who was counting? In that time I think we've maybe exchanged two sentences together. He asked me a question and my answer was a simple yes or no, Master. He never asked for anything more and I never offered more. I did my duties in the kitchen and crawled into my kennel at night without complaint. If I was being honest with myself though, I looked forward to going into my kennel now. It was _my_ space. _My_ time. It was the only time when I wasn't expected to talk or to do menial tasks around the house, or to even sit by his side in silence. It was where I could be one hundred percent alone with my thoughts until the darkness took over and pulled me into the wonderful abyss of numbness. Yes, I looked forward to that immensely.

I could hear Jasper's voice rattling on in the background of my mind, but didn't bother trying to make out what he was saying. It didn't matter. It wasn't until he grabbed me roughly in his hands and threw me over his shoulder did I even realize he was off the phone. I yelped in surprise but quickly settled down after a sharp slap to my bottom compliments of Jasper. Instead I hung there, lifelessly, counting the stairs as he took them. I didn't even bother trying to figure out why we were suddenly out of his office or where he was taking me. I would find out soon enough anyways.

"You will come back to me." He said over his shoulder, leaving me more confused then ever now.

Come back to him? When did I ever leave him? He knew where I was every second of the day. How in the world could I leave him?

Before I could ponder that thought any further I heard the shower come on right before I was roughly shoved inside. The water was ice cold and I screamed loudly as I tried desperately to get out. I struggled against Jasper's hold and fought him with all I had in me but he was too strong for me. The icy water was biting into my flesh and goosebumps were everywhere. My teeth began chattering and I was afraid for a moment that I was going to bite my tongue off.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I screeched at him as I continued on with my fight against him.

"Getting you to come back to me." He said calmly, not even out of breath at our struggle for power.

"I never fucking left!" I screamed, using my nails to dig into his flesh.

I felt one break and screamed in pain and began to kick out at him.

"You fucking bastard!" I yelled, splashing icy water all over him and the floor.

I don't know how long he kept me in the shower for but I struggled the entire time, fighting him with all I had in me. It was then I realized what he meant. I was here in body, but not in my mind. I was so far gone inside my own head that I canceled out everything else. Including him. And he apparently didn't like that. I wouldn't have cared so much about that but by going inside my own mind I not only forgot myself, but I forgot my family as well. Charlie, Alice, Edward, Jake. My best friends. My own fucking father. In seventeen days I hadn't even given them a second thought and that was more disturbing then anything I had encountered here thus far. By throwing me into my head, he made me lose not only myself, but my last hope for salvation from this hell.

"I'll fucking kill you!" I screeched. "I hate you!"

And with that I dropped to my knees and buried my head in my hands and sobbed, feeling the drops of water hit my back before Jasper shut off the shower, engulfing us in silence.

I don't know how long I sat there on the floor of the shower shivering and just letting my tears flow. It felt good to finally cry and feel some emotions. It had been too long that I was just a shell of the person I really was and in a twisted, fucked up sense, I was glad that Jasper forced me to come back to the real world.

"Welcome back." He said, gathering me in his arms once more and taking me out of the bathroom. I was soaking wet and cold, but he didn't show that he even noticed that as he held me tightly to his chest, letting the water from my clothes soak into his.

All the hate and anger towards him came back ten fold and I could feel my face heating up with said anger. Yes, I was definitely back.

Jasper carried me back to his room, the whole while running his fingers through my wet hair. If I wasn't so pissed off it might have felt good, instead it felt condescending. He set me gently on the floor on my feet and walked over to his closet pulling out another dress. What was it with him and these fucking dresses? Had the man ever heard of a little something called jeans and a t-shirt? I gasped as a tremor rocked through my body and goose bumps once again covered my skin. Was it supposed to be this cold in Mexico? Jasper noticed my discomfort as he strode to me quickly and gestured for me to remove my wet clothes. Glaring at him I slowly stripped away the dress, letting it fall to the floor in a heap. My nipples were already hard from the water and the cold air hitting them now didn't help their predicament any more. I raised my hands above my head as Jasper slipped on the new dress, quickly rubbing my legs dry of the stray drops of water that were making their way down to my ankles. Once I was dressed in dry clothes Jasper then led me back to his office where he settled me back on my stool, taking up residence in his chair once again.

I let out a sigh and settled into the stool, ready for another long time spent in complete silence. Instead of picking back up my book, I used this time to really think about my situation. Again. I didn't want to ever go back into the dark place inside my mind and I knew that in order for that not to happen again I needed to keep my hopes up about getting out of this place in once piece. I snorted quietly at the irony that was about to become my life. Jasper wanted me back and now he had gotten his wish. And I was going to make him regret every fucking minute of throwing me in that freezing shower. The question was, how? What in the world could I do to him to get back at him? I was watched practically twenty-four/seven.

"Isabella, you're due in the kitchen now." Jasper said bringing me out of my musings. And unknowingly giving me my 'in'.

"Yes, Master." I mumbled quickly, standing up from my stool.

For once since I got here, I was looking forward to going to the kitchen. I overheard Jasper say that Charlotte and her husband were on vacation this week so for some reason I just assumed that I wouldn't be in the kitchen without her. I was pleasantly surprised to learn otherwise though. I quietly shut the door behind me, not taking a backwards glance at the man who I could feel was staring pointedly at my back. Once I was in the hallway I let out a breath that I didn't realize I had been holding. After looking to the left and then the right, I quickly made my way downstairs to the kitchen. It was almost late afternoon so I knew that Jasper sent me down here to get his usual afternoon snack...but what could I do now to get back at him? Without it somehow coming back on me? I felt the rush of air from the kitchen door swinging closed behind me and shivered at the cold tile underneath my bare feet. Why was this house so freaking cold?

I made fast work of getting out the tray and the pitcher of unsweetened tea before grabbing the dumb Club crackers that he loved so much. I made quick work of setting up the crackers on the tray and poured the tea into his glass. It was when I reached for the sugar when inspiration hit me. This reminded me of one of my favorite fairy tales as a child.

Do the carpets Cinderellie, do the dishes Cinderellie, kiss our asses Cinderellie...Cinderella was a slave in her own home and now I was a slave in someone else's home. Neither circumstances bode well for either of us, but at least she had the comfort of getting to stay in the home she grew up in. But in the end nothing changed. We were slaves through and through. We had a lot in common in that aspect, though I still think Cinderella got the better end of the deal. Where in the story did you ever hear of her being put over her step-mothers knee? Or where in it did she ever get locked in a dark room, left alone for days on in? Never. So yes, she had it better for sure.

But one thing we did have in common was that we didn't complain out loud. For her, it wouldn't make a damn difference. And for me? Well that was just a one way ticket over Jasper's knee. No thanks. I choked back the bitterness that threatened to consume me and instead turned around so that I was facing the countertop where Jasper's afternoon snack was sitting beside me. His tea next to the crackers. The only thing missing was the sugar, to make the tea exactly as he liked it. I looked back to the counter to the sugar, that just happened to be sitting in a glass jar right by the salt. Which was also in a glass jar.

I quickly ran over my options on what kind of punishment this would warrant but in the end, he couldn't prove I did it on purpose. Not that it would matter, but he always claimed to be fair...and I was about to test that theory.

I took one last glace around the kitchen to make sure that I was alone, and upon seeing no one else around I quickly scooped in three spoon fulls of salt into his glass of tea. I stirred it around to mix it all in then picked up the tray and began my walk to the door. As I looked up, a shadow caught my eye and made my breath hitch. I gasped loudly as I came face to face with the man from my nightmare. The man with the ponytail and that very same smirk on his pale face. My heart rate picked up and I stumbled back a few steps only to have him match my steps back with two gigantic steps forward. My eyes were trained on his pale blue ones and his smirk became a sneer, twisting his facial features to look even more scarier than before.

"It's not polite to stare." He reprimanded me tauntingly, sounding like Charlotte on the first day I'd seen him.

I opened my mouth a few times, but nothing came out. So instead of a witty come back, like I had hoped, I looked like a fish out of water.

"I need to get back to Master Jasper." I mumbled quietly as I took a small step forward, hoping against hope that he would get the idea and let me pass without problem.

Unfortunately for me, luck wasn't on my side as he instead stepped into my path, blocking the exit to the door.

"It's rude to ignore the men of this house." He said with a sneer.

I pointedly ignored him and motioned with eyes to move so I could get past him and back to Jasper's office.

"And I am a man of this house. You may address me as Master James," He said with an air of arrogance around him, "Because I am a Master of this Palace."

Master of the Palace? Was he fucking delusional? I didn't say anything, instead just looked straight ahead at the door, practically willing for it to come to me at this point. I might not have been so freaked out if it weren't for the nightmare that I'd had that starred this man in front of me. There was something inside me that was telling me that he was capable of much worse than what I had conjured up inside my imagination, and it made my spidey senses tingle. I flinched as he brought his hand up and brushed away some of my hair that had fallen in my face.

"I will see you soon, beautiful girl," he whispered into my ear, his hot breath making me shiver. "That is a promise."

Before I could even catch my breath he strode from the kitchen, his hands in his pockets, whistling a tune that, even to my ears, sounded spooky. Not wanting to be in here any longer than I had to be, I followed after James, looking around before exiting the kitchen completely. I walked quickly, yet carefully back up the stairs to Jasper's office, pushing the cracked door open the rest of the way with my elbow. Without saying a word I set the tray down beside Jasper, who was on the phone again, and took up my usual place next to him on my stool. I picked up my book again, but like before, didn't bother to try and make sense of the words. Instead my mind was downstairs with James, going over our encounter downstairs. I had no doubt that he would make good on that promise...the question was, how much did I need to fear him?

I was jerked away from that train of thought though and into a more pressing matter as Jasper suddenly yelled out.

"What the fuck is this?"

I fell off my stool and looked up at him, wide eyed to see his tea splattered across his desk, and soaking into the papers laying there, a look of disgust on his face. In that small time frame of the salt and sugar switch up and James encounter with me I totally forgot about the tea!

Fuck me.

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A/N: Remember! Teasers for reviewers!


	9. The Imitation of a Vacation Part I

Disclaimer: We don't own, we merely puppeteer.

A/N: Hey folks! So, so sorry to keep you waiting for so long. The holidays happened and we either had family visit (because mine lives 12 hours away) or went out of town to see family, then I had to cover vacation days at the job, and then I brought a new family member in. I adopted a Maine Coon kitten from a local animal shelter and have been spending time welcoming him and getting him used to the concept of having a home and family of his own.

Now that that's over, let us reassure you on something. We're not going to quit this fic until this fic is complete. The only way it will get quit is if something terrible happens to us both. If we're late on an update, something has happened in our real lives and we'll be back with an update as soon as we can. :)

We want to thank you guys, so fucking much, for every alert, review and PM we receive! We are absolutely blown away by the support we're receiving. Thank you for giving our fic a chance and thank you to those of you who have stuck with us thus far. You are appreciated!

And an enormous Thank You to Cullen818, JaspersIzzy and givemesomevamp for Rec'ing us! And also to VegaTenshi for pre-reading! Keep in mind, if you rec us, you get the chapter early. Just let us know where you posted at! I have a feeling I missed someone in sending out the chapter, so if I did, you let me know and I'll make sure you get 10 before it's posted!

AND! For those of you who wanted a JPOV to this, we submitted a piece for the Fandom For Preemies and now the time has passed to where we can post it. The only place we're posting it at for Lord knows how long is over at TwiWrite. So take your behinds over there, sign up for an account and sign up for the forums as well because we're over there too! Come talk to us!

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_It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change._

_-Charles Galton Darwin _

I wasn't sure what woke me up, but I knew it was way too early for me to be awake. My eyes took in their surroundings before slowly rolling over. He was still asleep in the bed. I don't know how I knew that, but by now it was as if I could sense if he was in the room or not. Everything was still.

Too still.

It was enough to make the hair on the back of my neck raise in anticipation.

Something drew my eyes to the end of the bed. It was an inexplicable feeling rolling around in the back of my mind and the bottom of my gut, but I couldn't bring myself to look away.

I didn't have to wait long to see what my instincts had somehow known was there. Around the corner of the bed came slowly crawling a Mexican Red Knee Tarantula. It was easily big enough that I would have to have both of my small hands together to hold him or her or whatever it was. The idea sent a shudder throughout me. Renee had had one for a while after I'd moved out and I'd refused to be in the same house as it was. She'd finally sold it after it got out of it's tank one too many times and nearly gave Phil heart failure. After she did, I started visiting again.

I scuttled back against the back of my cage, pressing myself so tightly against the back wall that the bars were digging into my back.

"Master..." My voice came out so much weaker than I had intended. I knew that wouldn't wake him up, that man could sleep like the dead. I cleared my throat and tried again.

"Master!" That came out much louder than last time. I heard the rustling of sheets and gave a relieved sigh.

Glancing back towards the end of the bed again, I could see that the arachnid hadn't turned towards me and for that I was highly relieved.

The movement on the bed stilled and I heard a slightly incoherent grumble. I cursed to myself before taking a deep breath.

"_Master_!"

I whipped my head over to see if I had gotten any unwanted attention and found it already crawling my way, albeit slowly, as if it knew I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Apparently there was nothing over near the large potted plant in the corner to catch its interest so it decided to come check out the only thing moving and making racket.

There was no where left to go here in my cage. What was just considered my safe haven was now part of the cause of the oncoming panic attack.

I heard movement on the bed again and saw his bed head mop of blond curls, causing me to breathe a sigh of relief just at the sight. He turned his head and I was met with stormy blue gray eyes. He wasn't pleased. Oh well, I'd deal with whatever punishment he doled out if it meant he got rid of this terror.

"What is it Isabella?" His voice displayed no anger or agitation, just a little grogginess. I immediately pointed at the slowly approaching, panic causing creature. His eyes went wide at first before narrowing.

"Damn Peter..." He grumbled, getting out of bed on the far side and picking up the little trashcan he kept over there. When he reached the foot of the bed, he took the bag out of it and picked up a breakfast tray he'd forgotten to have me return to the pantry. Coming around the bed, he quickly sat the basket behind it and the tray in front of it before herding it into the trashcan with some effort. I was waiting to see it take off scuttling to either side of him. The idea of it would have been amusing had I not been trapped in here.

After he was successful, he pressed the tray to the bottom and tipped it over to where the tray was sitting on the floor and the trashcan was resting atop of it. He looked at it speculatively before setting a thick book from his bedside table on top of the can.

Satisfied with the containment, he picked up his fancy-dancy phone and called Joseph to come take Peter's pet and put it back into its terrarium and make sure it was securely closed this time. I couldn't help but look over my shoulder in paranoia that another may be crawling around here somewhere. After only a few moments, a knock came at the door before opening to reveal his butler. The two nodded pleasantries towards each other with Joseph ignoring me entirely, which I was fine with. In all honesty I wouldn't care if that man never spoke to again. He gingerly picked up the tray, careful to keep the book balanced on top. As he disappeared out the door, I let go of the breath I didn't realize I was holding as relief flooded my system.

The sound of the lock clicking brought my attention to the doorway and to the bleary eyed bane of my existence. As he opened the door, I crawled out immediately, grateful for the open space. I paused, not knowing what he wanted me to do. He sighed quietly before nodding towards the bathroom.

I didn't have to be told twice and quickly went to take care of my morning routine. After using the restroom, washing my face and brushing both my teeth and hair, I went back into the bedroom. The sight of him lying on the bed, rectangular black framed glasses perched on his nose as he quietly worked a crossword puzzle in the newspaper, made him look quasi-normal. The instant his eyes flicked up to meet mine though, that all went out the window and I wanted to slap myself for even thinking that.

"Come, get on the other side of the bed." He went back to his crossword and left me standing there surprised.

Of course, I knew that if I disobeyed him I'd end up across his lap again and I hadn't had a spanking since the tea incident. The memory came unbidden as I went around the bed and crawled up beside him, pulling my legs up close to me.

_Flashback_

"_What the fuck is this?" _

_I fell off my stool and looked up at him, wide eyed to see his tea splattered across his desk, and soaking into the papers laying there, a look of disgust on his face. In that small time frame of the salt and sugar switch up and James encounter with me I totally forgot about the tea!_

_Fuck me. _

"_I-It's your tea. Is there something wrong with it Master?" I asked, furrowing my brow and trying my damnedest to seem clueless and innocent._

"_This tea reminds me of a salt lick, Isabella. Why did you find it a good idea to dump salt in there rather than sugar?" He sat the glass down, semi-forcefully._

_I ducked my head down. I was nervous because it was the first time he'd ever raised his voice around me. I suspected that it was more out of surprise though. "My apologies Master, somebody came in the kitchen and startled me. I must have grabbed the salt by mistake. Charlotte keeps them in the same type of canister sitting side by side." I hoped he would buy it but I had a feeling I was going to get punished regardless. Might as well try to get out of it as unscathed as possible._

_He seemed to consider it for a second before getting up and extending his hand. I put my hand in his slowly, wondering where the hell we were going and praying it had nothing to do with the Isolation Room. Although, when we took a left out the door rather than a right, I knew that the Room wasn't going to be brought into use. Not yet at least._

_He led me by the hand down to the kitchen, where he knew I prepared his afternoon snack and looked for himself to see two identical canisters, side by side. Pulling them forward, he muttered something about Charlotte labeling them or changing them. He poured some from each onto the counter and set each canister behind its pile. When poured on the counter like that, it was obvious which was which._

_He brought me up in front of his little display, propped up on the counter with one hand, the other resting in his pants pocket. "Lick the tip of the index finger of your right hand."_

_I had an idea of where this was going, but I did what he said._

"_Now dip it into the right pile and then lick it off." I did as I was told and scrunched up my nose a bit at the taste of salt dancing across my taste buds. "What was it?"_

"_Salt, Master." I replied before rubbing my tongue along my teeth to try to get the flavor gone._

"_Now lick the tip of the index finger of your left hand, dip it into the left pile and lick it off." _

_I did as I was told, enjoying the sweetness of the sugar way more than I did the saltiness I'd tasted prior._

"_And what was that?" He asked expectantly._

"_Sugar, Master." I answered quietly as I rubbed my hands together to get rid of the remnants of the crystals._

"_Now I want you to lean down and look at the differences closely." I put my hands on the edge of the counter as he pushed my shoulders forward and down until I was only a few inches above the little piles._

_I felt the back of my dress raise and rest along my back. I knew I wasn't going to come out of this unpunished. After he pulled my panties down to just below my cheeks, he braced one hand against the small of my back before he began._

_The sounds of flesh meeting flesh filled the kitchen as I tried to hold in my cries and whimpers. That shit stung to high heaven. I thought the spankings might get better over time, but shit was I wrong. Tears began to slide out of my eyes and land in the piles of crystals, making a mess I was sure to have to clean up momentarily._

_I thought the worst was almost over when I heard the kitchen door swing open and a feminine 'Oops!' before the door hastily swung back shut again. _

_Charlotte!_

_I thought about how embarrassing it was going to be for me to look her in the eye again and felt more tears slip from my eyes. I felt my panties being pulled back up a moment later and withheld a hiss that wanted to escape as the underwear clung to the sensitive skin. I hadn't realized he'd stopped since I'd been in a semi-panic over the thought of seeing Charlotte face to face again. He dropped the skirting of my dress and smoothed it back out before turning me around and tipping my chin up to look at him._

"_Now since you definitely are aware of the difference, you will pay more attention to the task at hand to ensure this doesn't happen again, yes?"_

"_Yes, Master." I felt defeated. Not only did he punish me, but he humiliated me as well. That's the part that would stick with me longest. I'd think about it for a while every time I looked at Charlotte. I should have known the entire thing would have backfired on me. I expected a spanking, but I'd rather take that than the additional humiliation that came along with this particular one._

"_Good. Now, make me another glass, correctly this time and bring it up. I'll have the things out for you to clean my desk with when you get back." He issued his order before turning back and heading back to his office._

_End flashback_

I was speculating over the softness of the mattress and pillows and linens when a puzzle book and pen appeared before my eyes. My eyes snapped to his because this was unusual. Normally I would wake up, almost always at 8:30, crawl out of my kennel, do my morning routine, put on clothes he'd laid out for me and then go to his office, where he would put my collar on and the day would begin after he styled my hair. He was never here when I woke up and I was never invited to sit on the bed.

The day boded to be more interesting than usual though and I couldn't decide whether that was a good or a bad thing. I took the puzzle book from him and flipped it open without looking at the cover. Sudoku. Interesting.

Then again it seemed like he knew everything about me anyway, so I didn't see why it surprised me that he was handing me a book of my favorite puzzles. I was so caught up in my thoughts, I almost forgot my manners, despite the fact that I felt that he didn't exactly deserve them.

"Thank you Master. These are my favorites." I flipped to a page and began a medium rated puzzle as a warm up.

"You're welcome Isabella." He said quietly, continuing on his puzzle. I chanced a glance over at his and took a pause when I saw that it was all in Spanish. It didn't surprise me entirely but it made me wonder what it was like to be bilingual to that extent.

I shook it off and went on about my thoughts, going through the process of elimination as I worked my way through each square. We worked on our puzzles in relative silence and I thought about how refreshing it was to be doing something so... Normal... Something so different from what I endured everyday for the most part.

The comforting, relaxed silence was abruptly interrupted by my stomach growling loudly. I stopped in the middle of forming a two and glared at my stomach and its interruption of something that was pleasant for once.

I glanced over to the other bed occupant to see him looking at the clock on his phone. He put his phone in his pocket and set his puzzle on the bedside table. I took that as my cue to put mine aside as well. He got up and headed towards his door, barefoot and just in blue and black plaid pajama pants. He stopped at the doorway to glance back at me and gesture to 'come with' with a subtle jerk of his head.

I took a glance at the floor and the idea of something else crawling around down there made me light on my feet, causing me to move away and towards him quickly after my toes touched the hardwood flooring. With my luck, if there _was_ anything else down there, it'd take the opportunity to shoot out and under my feet as soon as I hopped off the bed.

As I approached him, he turned slightly and as I made it to him, he slipped his arm around me and rested his hand at the small of my back. I let him lead me along, wondering what his plans were because today was not normal and I didn't know what the world was going on. He led me quietly down to the kitchen where Charlotte was dicing tomatoes on the work area side of the breakfast bar. Her head came up and offered us a soft smile, looking at each of us as we came through the swinging door. My cheeks heated in reaction, thinking of when she walked in on us a few days ago and my eyes went to the floor.

"Good morning Jasper, Isabella." She greeted as she dumped the chopped tomatoes into a large mixing bowl and before starting on a new set. I supposed from the sight of that that today was salsa day. Charlotte always made a large amount of fresh salsa every week or so. Sometimes twice a week depending on how full the house was.

We both said our good mornings and sat at the bar. He began talking to her, making small talk and it made me wonder, and not for the first time, who Charlotte was to him. She didn't refer to him as Master Jasper like the other hired help did. I came out of my musings in time to catch him request huevos chorizo and fried potatoes with chorizo.

"Isabella, get our drinks please." He requested, looking at his phone as he messed with it.

"What would you like, Master?" It would have been easy except that he wasn't constant on his food or drinks except at snack time. Sometimes he had coffee and others he had tea and occasionally he had juice or a soda.

"A cup of coffee please." He requested, still tapping away with rapid precision.

Well, okay then. Coffee was easy enough. Like knowing his tea, Charlotte had showed me how to fix his coffee as well after the first time he sent me down here for a cup. I maneuvered around Charlotte, who was flitting around between the stove and the cutting board where she was still chopping vegetables and the chorizo, to get to the cabinets that housed the mugs. I opened the cabinet and looked at the selection rather quietly. On one shelf there were an assortment of mugs that I wasn't suspecting there to be. Star Wars mugs, Godzilla mugs, mugs with silly sayings on them and some with rude sayings on them, some even had pictures or cartoons. One mug on the end gave me an idea as to whose collection this was. I couldn't help but roll my eyes after reading it all. It read 'Peter- Worlds Greatest Lover'. I'd seen Peter before many, many times but I'd never spoken with him. He didn't seem the type to be into silly things like this. At all. I supposed though, that it would be a good idea not to judge a book by its cover.

I went with the bottom shelf containing the more 'normal' looking mugs and picked out a burnt orange one. From there I picked up the new blue canister of sugar and added two teaspoons before adding enough chocolate flavored creamer to bring it to the perfect color. I took the little spoon and stirred diligently, careful not to slosh any over the sides. Then after it was mixed well enough I dipped the spoon in and brought it to my lips, giving it a taste. It was perfect.

I picked the mug up with both hands and delivered it to him, watching as he took a tentative sip. He gave a nod of approval before reaching out to stroke my hair and the side of my face with the backs of his knuckles. "Good girl."

I felt blood rush to my cheeks. He'd never done that before. Stroke my hair? Yes. Touch my face? Not in a gentle manner like that. I saw his lips twitch a bit as if they wanted to quirk up into a smile.

"You may have coffee, juice or milk. Fix it, then come back to your seat."

Coffee? Oh my. Coffee was something I hadn't had since I'd been here. I didn't drink it religiously like some people did, but I did drink it around half of my mornings. The other half I'd drank juice or milk. I went to turn, then paused.

"Thank you, Master." After he nodded, I proceeded on my way back to the cabinet. For myself I chose a dark green one. It reminded me of home. Of Charlie. Of Edward and Jake. It reminded me why I couldn't give up and why I had to continue on this treacherous path. I knew in my heart that they would never stop searching.

I pushed those thoughts out of my mind. I didn't want to cry in front of them. Sometimes in the shower I'd let my thoughts wander to them and let the tears flow freely for a little while, but never in front of anyone else. I didn't want them to see how much it affected me. I looked down to see that I'd mechanically assembled my drink and was now stirring it. I took it back and sat next to Jasper again and had just enough time to take a sip before a plate of hot breakfast was put in front of us both.

I picked up my fork and slowly ate despite the fact that I wanted to shovel it down my throat. I knew I was hungry but hadn't realized just how much until now. I snuck a glance over to see him eating breakfast at his usual slow pace. I'd never seen him rush through his food. He took the time to enjoy and appreciate it. I could easily see why. Charlotte was an amazing cook. Everything that came from her kitchen was delicious and damn near perfect. It was no wonder he snatched her up when he got the opportunity.

I finished breakfast before he did and sat quietly, sipping my coffee and relishing the taste. When I got out of here, I would hold an entirely new appreciation for everything. Chocolate, coffee, and choices would all be appreciated like they should be. People didn't realize how precious freedom was until it was taken away.

When he was finished with his breakfast, he slid his plate towards me. I took both of our dishes and silverware to the sink to rinse them before stuffing them in the dishwasher. After drying my hands and turning around, I found him standing with both coffee mugs in hand. He tipped his head towards the door, indicating for me to follow. With a nod and a 'thank you' to Charlotte for breakfast, I followed him back up to his room. He led us to the small sitting area near his closet and sat our mugs on the little coffee table. I sat at the other end of the couch and cut my eyes to the side, watching him tentatively.

"Isabella, I'm going out of town for the next three nights. You will be with Vladimir and Stefan while I am gone or Peter if they are handling something. If you wish, you can request to be allowed to go to the kitchen with Charlotte. She may or may not put you to work. After eight o'clock you may come here and either watch television or you may bring a book from the library. I won't require you to be kenneled though. You may sleep in my bed. After you come in, lock the door and only open it for Charlotte, Peter, Stefan or Vladimir. Don't venture out after you've locked yourself in. Do you understand me?"

I looked up at him, wide eyed after he announced he was going to be away for a few days. I was simultaneously excited for the time away from him and terrified of it. Now I was going to be in the house with James and without Jasper.

"I understand, Master." I looked to him, trying keep my mask of calm and cool in place as if he'd done this a thousand times before.

"That's my good girl. I want you to wear your collar without the bell while I'm away as well. People around the house understand its significance and won't fuck with you. If they do anyway, alert one of your guardians." He finished his set of instructions and leaned back with his cup, taking a contented sip. I picked up my cup as well, noticing that it had been refilled. I took a tentative sip and was surprised to find that it was just like I liked it. Charlotte must have been paying attention.

What if James approached me again? What would I do then? I never told Jasper about my prior encounter with him because why would he believe me over one of his own men? I didn't think he would and I didn't like the thought of what would happen after he informed me that he believed I was lying. Finally receiving his belt, getting sent back to the isolation room or God knows what else.

After draining the rest of his cup, he pulled a list out of his pocket and began to move around the room, packing clothes and necessities. After those were packed he went to the curtained doorway and pushed aside the thick drapery. The room had dark hardwood flooring and matching cabinets that lined one side of the wall. The other walls that I could see were covered in rocky bricks. The only other things I could really see was a large cream sectional at the other end of the room with a large, heavy looking coffee table and matching end tables. I watched as Jasper unlocked a set of cabinets, mildly wondering where he'd picked the keys up from, and pull out a selection of guns. He placed them carefully in a duffel bag before zipping it and filling a backpack with ammunition.

He relocked it and slipped the keys into his pocket before dragging his bags over to sit next to his suitcase. He stood there, staring at them contemplatively before having an 'ah-ha!' moment and going into the bathroom and returning moments later with his toiletries kit. After shoving the small, rectangular leather bag into his suitcase, he started carting stuff downstairs. I was unsure of what I was supposed to be doing, if anything, so I remained on the couch, playing with my coffee mug and hoping to get the 'privilege' of having the brew more often.

I watched him make two more trips after taking the first bag down that contained the guns. I supposed that shit must have been heavy though and was suddenly glad he didn't require my assistance. My mind went back to my earlier pondering over how torn I was over his trip. I hated the man with my entire being, yet he was the guarantee to my safety. As long as he was here, nothing else could get me. In some fucked up form, he was my protector. Ugh, how that thought made me shiver unpleasantly. I didn't want to dread his leaving.

I made a mental checklist of things to do while he was gone. First of all was I had to see if I could find something to lower myself to the ground from his balcony. Or see if it was feasible for me climb down from his bathroom window. Second, I had to find something to hold water, like a canteen or thermos. Thirdly, I had to find a satchel of some sort and gather supplies. Finally I had to see if I could get into those cabinets. Guns would be extremely nice to have. That way if one or more of those motherfuckers came after me this time I'd be able to actually take care of the problem.

The idea of taking a life nauseated me. I recalled Charlie's lectures from the times when he'd taken me to the firing range. I couldn't imagine pulling that trigger and seeing the light fade from that person's eyes, but I knew I would do it if it meant my survival or escape.

I filed my plans away for later and stood, picking up our cups and heading downstairs to the kitchen to deposit them in the sink. On my way back to the staircase, I saw him by the front door, talking to Stefan, Vladimir, Peter and Charlotte. He looked up as I went towards the stairs and motioned me over. I approached his side and he placed his hand lightly on the small of my back.

"I've briefed everyone and gave them their instructions. Be a good girl alright? If you need to be punished Peter is going to take care of it while I'm away." The idea of someone else punishing me made my insides squirm unpleasantly. Before I could let my thoughts on the matter show on my face, I nodded.

"Yes, Master. I'll be good." I folded my hands together in front of me and glanced up to him. He gave a slight smile to me before nodding to the others. Before he turned to leave though, he stroked my hair lightly and gave a light nod before heading out the door. I turned back to find everyone but Peter still standing there. He'd already headed back down the hall to his office.

"Would you rather spend the rest of the day with Charlotte or come with us?" Stefan asked politely. I thought about it for a minute before deciding I'd rather stay with Charlotte. She spent most of her day near the coffee maker.

"I'll stay in the kitchen with Charlotte, if that's fine?" The two men nodded and turned to go on about whatever they'd been doing. Charlotte gave me a pleasant smile, as if she was glad I'd chosen her over the other two dipsticks.

"Come on, sugar, let's go into the kitchen." She put her hand on my shoulder and walked by my side as we ventured back into her enormous work area. I wasn't aware how long I'd been here seeing as I'd lost track of time some time ago. Used to though, walking beside another woman would have been normal. It felt strange to walk next to anyone as if I were just a girl rather than the slave I'd become. With Charlotte though, I felt a little bit of that normality come back.

We spent hours making fresh tortillas, refried beans, seasoned black beans, Mexican rice, guacamole, and beef and chicken enchiladas. In the midst of all of the stirring, chopping, rolling and smashing, I made a few quick and simple chicken, beef and cheese quesadillas from the leftover enchilada filling. At promptly 5:55, we started carrying dishes of food as well as plates and silverware into the large dinning room. I'd been in here once on the tour but when Jasper and I ate in the evenings, we were usually at the breakfast bar in the kitchen. After the food was all in place, we retreated to the kitchen for our own dinner.

It was then Charlotte pleasantly surprised me. I figured she'd whip us up something American or Mexican like we had most of the time but she showed me one of her secrets. She told me to have a seat somewhere and when I returned to the bar stool I'd sat upon that morning, she slid a cutting board in front of me with mushrooms and bell peppers, instructing me to slice and chop them into bite sized pieces. I made short work of that and by the time I was done, I saw Charlotte pulling out a bowl from underneath the countertop that was covered with a dishtowel and turning the oven on. She sat the bowl on the counter and retrieved a jar of red sauce and a large lump of mozzarella cheese from the refrigerator, setting them gently next to the bowl. I had an idea of where this was going and my mouth started watering at the thought of hot, cheesy pizza.

I bit my lip to contain the grin that wanted to break out on my face. I sat silently and in awe as she pulled a quarter of the dough away and started to flatten it into an almost perfectly round circle. She'd flatten it more and eyeball it, flatten it more and eyeball it until it was just thin enough for her liking. From there, she picked the round doughy disc up and placed it on top of one of her fists before sliding the other underneath to join the first. Slowly and gently, she began to stretch the dough, moving it in circular motions to keep everything even.

When it got a little bit bigger, she got a look of concentration on her face and spun the flat disc into the air, catching it carefully before repeating a few times. I'd seen it done a couple of times before in my life, but I was no less impressed. She asked me if I'd like to try and apparently the horror I felt played out on my face as the scenarios ran through my mind over what would probably ensue. Broken dishes, me covered in pizza dough after I failed to catch it, me tripping over something because I threw it crooked and was trying to run to save it. I shuddered and politely declined. Charlotte couldn't help but laugh at me, but thankfully didn't push me to try it anyway or poke fun at my lack of coordination.

After the pizza doughs were good and flat, she pricked them with a fork and spread the sauce on them before sliding them in the oven for a bit. It gave us just enough time to cube the cheese and split large green olives into quarters. She quickly pulled everything back out, one at a time, and we sprinkled cubes of cheese and the vegetables across the sauce, making sure not to get too much on each one. After that, it didn't take long for the cheese to fully melt after it was back in the oven.

Charlotte and I each had a pie apiece seeing as they were in between a medium and a large sized thin crust pizza. She saved the other two for Peter. We cleaned what little there was to clean in the kitchen before I got a glass of water and bade Charlotte goodnight.

As I ascended the stairs, I noticed how quiet the house was. Everyone must be gone or asleep. Hopefully they were gone. The thought of one person in particular creeping around in the dark made my heart rate double and sent a chill down my spine. I sped my steps up, padding along to make them quieter. I reached the door and scooted in quickly, twirling around to shut the door as quietly as I could before throwing the locks. With that bastard around it didn't take much to get my paranoia wheels spinning. I checked the extra room, the closet and under the bed before going and running a hot bath in the enormous tub. Deciding I wanted fluff with my steam, I squirted in some of my strawberry shampoo and watched as it began to foam up. After it was full of bubbles and steaming hot water, I shed my clothes and collar and slid in.

Today was grating on my emotional well being. Every day thus far had been fairly predictable. I knew what was expected of me and what I could and couldn't do. Today I didn't know what I was supposed to or not supposed to be doing. Then the whole thing with spending the day in the kitchen with Char? Unusual, but enjoyable. It was really refreshing to be doing something other than retrieving things for Jasper or sitting on my little stool reading. Although, it was slightly out of character for Charlotte. Or maybe she was now warming up to me more. I didn't know. It didn't really matter because I'd rather have her be like this than like she was before. It felt like I had a semi-ally in this mess.

I shoved the thoughts all out of my head suddenly. I didn't need to think about this. I just needed to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet while he was gone. That and see about escaping from this hellhole. I would check around tomorrow night for the rest of my supplies and see about getting gone the third night. If anything, they'd be watching more closely the first and second nights. I'd noted that there were a few thermoses in the pantry when I'd went in for dried beans today. There was always fresh fruit as well, which would be excellent for traveling foods. Now I just had to snoop around and find a bag and some rope. The rope would be the hard one to get a hold of.

I relaxed a while longer and enjoyed the warm water without time constraints, satisfied that I was making a little headway on my plan. After my fingers started to resemble the California Raisins, I drained the tub and rinsed off. I wrapped one towel around my hair and the other I dried my body with. Once I attacked my hair with the blow dryer and brush and brushed my teeth, I headed into his bedroom. When I got to the bed though, I came up short. I wasn't going to sleep in his bed naked, but I didn't exactly know where my pajamas were.

After eyeballing the dresser next to the locked bedroom door, I went over and opened the second drawer. In my experience, men usually kept their socks and underwear in the top drawer. So hopefully the next one would be pajamas. I pulled the drawer open and was greeted with t-shirts. I poked around until I saw one that looked larger than the others. I shook it out and held it up to my small frame. It wasn't pajamas, but it would work.

I slid it over my head and smoothed it around my thighs before flipping the lights off and heading back to the bed and stopping short once again. Which side did I want to sleep on? I debated with myself over which side I should choose. If I slept on his side, when he came back he'd be able smell me on his pillow. That could give the wrong impression that I missed him or some shit. Although, if I slept on the other side, that'd be saying that I actually respect his space when he's not here, and I really, really don't.

I kept up the back and forth battle before saying fuck it and just climbing in between the sheets and cutting off the light. I sprawled out in the middle of the king sized pile of soft goodness and snuggled my head into the feather pillows. How I'd missed being able to stretch out on something that was actually soft. The effects of the day, the bits of normality from dinner and the aftermath of the hot soak took a hold of me, finally, and pulled me under into a dark, solid sleep.

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A/N: We hope you enjoyed the change of pace! Remember! Reviewers get teasers!


	10. The Imitation of a Vacation Part II

**A/N:** My apologies for the lateness. RL has been killer. My motivation and inspiration has been nil over the past couple of months. I had half of this chapter written out and then my creativity dried up. Part of the problem for me is that my fingers can't keep up with my thoughts and my interest wanes with whatever I'm doing. So I bought a program called Dragon NaturallySpeaking and I got the other half the chapter done that day in little over 2 hours. So, hopefully we won't have issues like this again.

Oh, yeah, also! If you haven't been reading Conversations With My Killer by Oracle Vas, Leaves of Grass by Nauticalmiss or Distant Starlight by CladenstinePen, go find them and read! They all have me entranced as of late.

Another thing. We've been getting an amazing amount of reviews and people checking in on us. Thank you all, so, so much for that. It means a lot to us! I'd like to reiterate how much we appreciate you taking this dark journey with us.

**Disclaimer:** We don't own, we merely puppeteer.

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Chapter 10 – The Imitation of a Vacation Part II

"_Dare to think for yourself"_

-Voltaire

"_In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart."_

-Anne Frank

I blearily opened my eyes the next morning and stretched, cat-like before flopping back down on the bed and glancing to the clock. I groaned in annoyance when the red digits only read 8:30 in the morning. I supposed though, that since I got up at this time almost every day it would only be natural to keep to my routine.

I was halfway expecting to sleep later though with the way I slept. I'm not sure I moved very much at all, which would explain the minor stiffness. His bed was just so much more comfortable than my little cage.

I contemplated going back to sleep, but the longer I laid there, the more awake I became. With a huff, I hauled myself out of bed and into the bathroom for my morning routine. I decided to give myself a treat and leave my hair down to hang freely. When I came back into the bedroom though, I came up short. He always picked my clothes. Down to the underwear and the rare accessory. Now I had to choose for myself. I wondered where he kept my clothes now. He probably had someone relocate everything while we were stuck in his office day in and day out from my room to his.

I walked over to the dresser with its large mirror and leaned on the smooth top with crossed arms, peering at myself in the silence. Who is that girl? At this point, I didn't fucking know. All I knew was that I would never be the same. Used to I considered a treat being picnicking with Mike or a box of expensive candy a treat. Now I considered being able to dress and do my hair as I pleased a treat.

"Who are you?" The girl in the mirror asked me, reminding me of a pink and purple striped disappearing cat. I could only stare back. I had no answer. I decided to obsess over this another day. One where I had no one to talk to and my time wasn't my own again. For now I was going to enjoy what I had. If I had learned anything during my time here it was to enjoy what you had while you had it.

I opened drawers and I closed drawers. Shirts, boxers, socks and pajama pants filled most of them. The wide yet short drawer at the top center was the only one different. I slid it out and found myself looking at a blue velvet lined drawer containing treasures. Watches, rings, necklaces, money clips, cuff links, baubles, all sorts of shiny and beautiful items were precisely categorized and organized. Every place had a thing and every thing had a place. It was typical him with that aspect. I supposed what surprised me was the fact that he never wore any of it during my time here with the exception of a simple solid band on his right pinky.

Something in the corner caught the light differently than the jewels and I pulled the drawer out just a little bit further. If I pulled out much more I'd most likely end up holding it or have things scattered about the floor. I could now see what had caught the light. It was a sizable blue glass bead. What it was attached to was rather pretty and very seemingly out of place in a man's jewelry stash. I picked it up and marveled at the weight. The butterfly brooch was lovely, yet understated. The inner part of the wings were ivory with onyx veining. The top of the wing was the same blue glass that the bead was and it was surrounded by more black onyx. It looked like the onyx was very intricately carved so that the glass could be melted and poured into the cavity. I knew nothing of jewelry crafting, but it sounded good in my own head. Either way, it was nice to see something so lovely. I bet it belonged to his mother.

That thought in and of itself brought me up short. It made me think of him differently and in a way I'd rather not. If I thought of him as having parents, like me, it made him seem more human and I didn't like to equate him with that. He was a monster of epic proportions and I needed to remember that.

I ran my thumb across the colorful, smooth front again in admiration before placing it back exactly like it was. I wanted to poke around more in the drawer and speculate over some of his other items. It made me feel like I knew him more.

"Know thine enemy" I muttered as I gently closed the drawer after having compromised with myself to come back to it later. I ventured over to the closet doors and pulled them both open. I hadn't been in here before. Whoever did the laundry came in and took care of everything while we were out of the room and he always had my clothes laid out by the time I woke up. There were a few instances I remember him getting something out of there but usually I was in my kennel or just coming out of the bathroom. In any case, it never interested me until now. I suppose that was because I never had the opportunity to snoop a little.

I saw my clothes hanging on the left hand side with pairs upon pairs of shoes sitting neatly beneath them. Both the clothes and the shoes were categorized by type. Dresses, skirts, blouses, sweaters, jackets, dressy looking shorts and some slacks. Beneath them were sandals, clogs, ballet flats, a pair of boots and some high heels. I had seen the clothes but I never remembered any of the with the exception of the ballet flats and the pair of sandals I wore to the auction. There were no jeans or sneakers anywhere in sight much to my dismay.

I wandered back to the very back of the closet where a set of mahogany drawers were built into the wall. I opened the top drawer and breathed a sigh of relief. Underwear, finally. I plucked a mint green satin pair and found the matching bra a couple of drawers down. After gathering my underthings, I picked out a pair of the dressy black shorts, a simple pink tank and a pair of matching flats. I wanted the red top, but due to my time spent with Alice, I knew it wouldn't go with my pink collar. I scoffed and rolled my eyes at myself, yet still didn't take the one I really wanted.

I dumped my bounty on the bed and tossed my nightclothes in the hamper before getting ready to go downstairs. I snatched the collar off of the bathroom counter and put it on with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I knew it kept me safe from everyone in the house. On the other, it was an obvious symbol of my situation. After I checked myself in the dresser mirror again, my eyes flickered to the drawer once more before I turned and headed down to the kitchen.

Instead of seeing my blonde acquaintance busying herself around the kitchen, I came upon a note in front of my usual spot at the breakfast bar.

_Bella,_

_Today is shopping day, so you'll have to spend your time with either Peter in his office or Stefan and Vladimir. They should be in the library down the hall and through the double doors at the end. I'll be back sometime after lunch._

_-Charlotte_

Spending the day with Peter meant spending the day with the spider and I didn't think I'd be up for that quite yet. I took the note and headed out of the kitchen before hanging a right and going underneath the grand curving staircase and straight down the hall to the double doors. When I reached them, I hesitated, not knowing whether to knock or just go in. I raised my hand but felt ridiculous so I lowered it to the heavy brass handle and turned slowly.

Peeking my head in, I saw the white blonde hair of Vladimir cascading over the back of the leather couch that was facing away from me with a sketch pad propped up on his crossed legs. In his left hand was a stick of charcoal, his fingers stained from handling it. The picture he was working on was of a naked woman, stretched out on a chaise lounge with a shawl draped across her legs and fluffy looking pillows under her back, head and neck. As I approached I could better see one arm above her head, resting languidly, the hand disappearing behind the lounge and her other arm was resting on her pregnant belly, her fingers lightly caressing the side as she looked towards the viewer with a sweet smile.

"This is Daliah, my wife. We're expecting our first daughter in September." He said softly, shading her skin lightly to give shadow in the areas closest to the furniture.

I hadn't made any noise when I approached and the door hadn't creaked at all. I let out a slow breath that I had quickly sucked in when he'd spoken.

"She's lovely. Congratulations." I said softly as I came around the couch to find Stefan lying on the floor under his brother's propped up legs with a book and a throw pillow.

"Thank you, Isabella." He said, just as quietly as earlier before going into heavier detail on her long, flowing hair.

I figured since he wasn't getting up then I would pick a book and make use of the overstuffed chaise here in the library. It was curvy, yet still elegant with the supple brown leather. The only thing to keep it upright was the wrought iron footing on the back.

I walked along the bookshelves and stopped at a plain white cover with _Lullaby_ written simply on the side. On the front it had what appeared to be a bright yellow, albeit dead, raven on it's back. When I read it the first time, Mike commented that it looked like a radioactive raven. He referred to it as the '_Radioactive Raven book' _until I informed him that radioactive things that glowed, glowed blue rather than yellow.

I picked up the strange little tale and took to my seat, opening up to the first page. I zoomed through the book in the quietness. The only other sounds were the occasional wind pushing against the windows and Vlad's charcoal scrapping against paper. I got three quarters of the book before breaking off into fantasies of whispering that little death poem into unsuspecting people's ear. Once everyone here was on the ground, I could get away with actual supplies and a vehicle. Too bad it was just a fantasy.

The idea brought back to mind a very vivid dream I'd had last night. In the dream I had gotten out of the bed in the room that was supposed to have been mine and snuck down to the garage. There I had gotten a small gas can. Then I went back to my room and doused everything. I dumped my clothes in the bathtub and soaked them, soaked my bed, the rest of the clothes in my closet, opened drawers to soak more clothes and then just worked my way around the house. It reminded me of movies with those guns that never ran out of bullets. The little bitty gas can never emptied until I got to the garage door that connected to the house. Then I pulled Jasper's expensive platinum and sapphire lighter out of my pocket, lit it and threw it onto the freshly soaked carpet. It had caught quickly and spread along the trail very, very fast. I turned and ran to a motorcycle standing in the open garage doorway, yanking the keys out of my pocket as I went. I remember hopping on and kick-starting it, taking off and stopping at the top of the hill to turn and look back. The sky was ablaze with the dancing fire. The entire house was alight with it by that point. I stood there and watched it burn in silence, hearing explosions from ammunition that had been in the house and Lord knows what else. At the end though, when the house had started collapsing, the front door opened and fell backwards into the foyer, and He came out. He walked up the hill with the whipping wind scattering his blond curls across his face. I scooted back on the bike while keeping balance and watched him mount calmly. He placed a hand on my thigh, patting it before turning his attention to the motorcycle. He revved the engine a couple of times and we took off into the night, my arms wrapped securely around his waist.

I wondered if it was a sign of things to come.

I finished my novel and leaned back to stretch. I peeked over to my companions to see that Stefan had abandoned the book for the New York Times and was currently doing the crossword. Vlad was signing his name to the portrait before gently laying it on the newspaper covered table, right in the center. He took a can that was hidden next to the leg of the coffee table that was labeled 'Lascaux Fine Art Fixative' and shook it up. I listened as the balls clacked around in the can, mixing up the contents before he held it a fair distance away and began spraying a fine mist from the top to the bottom of the picture, coating it evenly. After he was satisfied he sat the can down and glanced to his watch.

"Let's go get some lunch." He suggested.

Stefan drug himself off the floor after throwing his pen down on the half completed puzzle and followed us out of the room. When we got to the kitchen, they went to the refrigerator and began pulling out an assortment of items. Freshly cooked seasoned pulled pork, fresh salsa, guacamole, lettuce and some cheese all made their way to the counter. From there the two of them made quick work of making a large plate of soft tacos. In addition to this, they filled a small bowl with salsa and a larger bowl with chips. After piling everything onto a tray, Stefan headed out the back door to the back porch. Vladimir took a bucket from the pantry, filled it with ice and loaded it with bottles of Dos Equis, adding a few bottles of Coke for me. I bit my lip to keep my grin under control. Jasper rarely allowed me sodas.

"Grab the salt and some napkins please." Was all he said before following his brother out the back door.

I did as I was told, grabbing the salt shaker and a small stack of white napkins before following them out and joining them at the table. They had drug a papasan chair over for me to sit on while they took the other two cushioned wrought iron chairs. They had placed the plate of tacos, the salsa and chips within reach of all of us on the little table. I started snacking on the chips and salsa while the other two chowed down on the pulled pork tacos. Watching the rate they disappeared at, I put three on my plate for safe keeping.

In the midst of their feast, Stefan's phone rang. With an annoyed grunt, he pulled it from his pocket and looked at the caller ID before answering.

"What?" He barked. Yep, he was annoyed.

His eyes narrowed at whatever the person on the other end was saying. It caused his bushy eyebrows to scrunch together almost enough to make him look like he had one big unibrow.

"I'll be there directly." He replied, hanging up on the caller.

He stuffed his last taco in his mouth and finished it off before chugging the rest of his beer and standing. He looked to Vladimir with a serious glint in his eye.

"Exista o gaura in gard. Unul dintre cei mari." He muttered as he wiped his mouth, his eyes flickering to me and back.

No, that doesn't make me nervous at all, I thought sarcastically. I shoved the salsa coated chip in my mouth and took a drink of my Coke. Hopefully they weren't thinking about burying me in the desert or anything like that.

I watched Stefan descend the few back porch steps and head to the side of the house. Moments later there was the revving of an engine and Stefan reappeared suddenly on a bright yellow dirt-bike, headed to parts unknown.

I looked to Vladimir before glancing to where his brother just left. Maybe I'd ask in a little bit. I sighed and continued eating my chips, poking a bit at the tacos on my plate before deciding to leave them for the time being and just enjoyed the fresh air.

I reveled in being outside again. It didn't happen often and when it did, I was usually on Jasper's little balcony off of his office. The covered back porch was so much more spacious with its depth and I had the option of moving over to laze in the sun or come back and rest in the shade.

I looked to my temporary companion for a few moments, wrestling with myself over whether or not to ask the questions that have been floating around in my mind all morning in the library. Sometime during the fight with myself, he caught sight of my internal musings and decided to interrupt.

"Just ask if you're so curious. I can always just refuse to answer." He looked to me out of the corner of his eye as he tipped his beer back.

"Where did Stefan go earlier?" My eyes remained on the chip I was fiddling with on my plate. Fidgeting out of my nervousness.

"There's a hole in the fence. He had to go deactivate the electricity to it so they could repair it." He kept his eyes focused on me and I froze at the mention of a fence.

"What fence?"

"The fence that borders the property. It's approximately 10 foot tall and electric. Usually it has a high enough electrical charge that nothing can get through it and if something wanted to go over it, it would have to contend with the barb wire at the top." He explained as if it was common knowledge.

I sat back in my seat and thought about it. I realized that even if I had made it to the edge of the property I wouldn't have made it past the fence. It definitely complicated matters and I realized that I would have to wait until we actually went somewhere to attempt my escape. This wasn't America though, I didn't know how the police would react to Jasper or his crew and didn't know how much influence they had over the local government. For all I knew he could do anything he wanted in public and get away with it. I decided I would think on this later tonight and continue to question Vladimir.

"How did you and Stefan end up in Mexico?" It had been bugging me ever since I heard them speaking Spanish, but having the Russian accent when they spoke English.

He thought about it for a moment, looking out towards the stables as he did before glancing back and saying. "You eat on your lunch and I'll tell you."

I nodded easily and picked up one of my tacos, keeping my eyes on him as I did.

"You know we're part of the Mafia by now so I'll skip that. Now, I want you to think of a business. In a business there are different areas of specializations. For example, you have people who specialize in accounting, people who specialize in sales and people who specialize in shipping. Each of these separated would do fine, but when they work together, they get a much better result. More profits, more expansion possibilities, more product moving and being sold. The same is true for us. We each have strengths and weaknesses. When the Italians brought us and the Mexicans together and proposed a partnership of sorts, we were skeptical, but once we started actually working together we found we had a much farther reach. When we tapped each others strengths, more things happened successfully, more money was made and we've become a stronger force overall. Stefan and I were raised by Uncle Balthazar and Uncle Gabriel and we went with them when they came first to America and then here. After the partnership with Señor Jasper was established between he and Bal, Bal sent us here to work for him. We have been here ever since."

I thought this over while slowly eating. It made sense. He gave me more credit than I deserved because until then, it was just speculation that they were mafioso. It made me realize just how dangerous Jasper really was. If he really wanted to he to get rid of not only my father but all of my friends and acquaintances and make it untraceable back to him. He had great power over me and I was just starting to realize the extent of it.

"Do you like what you and your brother do?" I asked. I couldn't really imagine working for Mafia but then again, I'd never been there had never been in his position. He looked thoughtful for a few moments before answering me.

"It has its ups and downs. For the most part, yes, I like what I do. Do I approve of everything I'm ordered to do? No. Although, I'm not paid to approve of things, I am paid to do them. If you think about it, it is really just like any other job. You are told to do things and you do them. If you refuse you are disciplined or fired. Or in my case you are tortured or killed." At first glance he look nonchalant as he explained things, but if you looked closer you could see that he felt more than he was letting on. There was no telling what things he been made to do in his life or how he felt about himself after he had done them.

"Where in Romania are you from?" I asked after swallowing a bite of my taco, changing course.

"Constanta, off of the Black Sea." He smiled fondly, getting a far away look in his eye.

"Do you ever get to go back?" I asked curiously.

"Sometimes. When we aren't being bogged down, dealing with governments or threatened by other organizations and there is a lull in things to do. It is always hard though, coming back. Our mother misses us and of course we miss her too. She is getting up in her years though and it gets harder to leave her every time, knowing we may never see her again. Conversely, it is hard on her too, seeing us leave. Our father passed many years ago. My sisters Kate and Irina care for her. My mother is the oldest of her siblings."

"Is all of your family from Romania?" I didn't think they were but it would be best not to assume.

"No. My father's side of the family is from Russia. Bal and Gabriel grew up in Moscow. Stefan and I spent much time there growing up. Our uncles taught us much about the Mafia and provided us with all the skills we'd need to survive. We started firing weapons at a young age, becoming master marksmen over time. We also learned hand-to-hand combat early, improving upon it too as we aged. We can speak multiple languages and our favored language is Russian but from time to time we'll also speak Romanian as well."

"When did you come to the Americas?" I knew I needed to knock off the questions but it was hard. I needed to get conversation with them while I could because I knew Jasper would be back all too soon and I would be isolated from everyone again.

"In 1986 right after the Chernobyl disaster. We wanted our mother and sisters to come with us, but she would not leave the house and life my father had built and my sisters would not leave her. We had been planning on coming around that time anyway but the disaster made us leave that much faster."

I had to stop asking him questions about life and his family, despite my curiosity. Thinking things like that made me see them as human and I needed to dehumanize them to see them as my enemy properly. That way, if the time came, I would have to have no hesitation to kill him or any of them if it meant my freedom.

By the time he was finished speaking I had finished my lunch and drank the last of my coke. I was about to ask one more question, despite myself, when I heard the engine of the dirt-bike. Stefan was back.

He returned the bike from where he got it from and came back up onto the back porch.

"Did you save me any beer?" He inquired, peeking over bucket. I suppose he found it empty because he glanced back up with a non-impressed look. "I guess not. Let's go back inside, its hot out here anyway." He groused as he got back up and loaded half the dishes onto the tray. Vladimir shrugged and picked up the bucket, loading the rest of the dishes into it.

"Bring the rest of those napkins back in with you please, Isabella." He said as he walked off, trusting me to follow him. I guess he either forgot or didn't care about the salt. I went ahead and grabbed it because Charlotte would end up noticing something wrong with there was only the lone pepper grinder sitting on the counter.

I didn't really want to go in, not knowing when I get to come back outside and relish in the warmth. Perhaps Charlotte would either come out with me or let me come out on my own. I sighed and reluctantly followed them back into the kitchen to deposit the napkins when I saw my blonde hair companion standing at the sink peeling potatoes. I figured the Brothers Grimm had had enough of me for today so I decided to spend some time Charlotte.

"I'm going to spend some time in the kitchen if that's okay with the two of you, and Charlotte of course." I tacked that last bit on at the end because Charlotte might want some solitude in her kitchen. She could have had enough of me already from the previous night.

"Whatever you wish, Isabella. It does not matter to us. We'll be back in the library if you need to find us." Vladimir said and headed out the door with Stefan following, back to their hiding place. I had a feeling that they spent a great deal of time in there.

I realize they didn't give Charlotte a chance to say one way or another but I supposed if she was tired of me she could just kick me out and send me on my way back to them. I turned around to see her still peeling potatoes.

"Now Bella, you know I don't mind your presence in my kitchen. You are good company and even better help. I'm making Southern fried chicken for dinner tonight. So if you wouldn't mind helping, please cube these potatoes." She asked, knowing I wouldn't mind and that I would still do it even if I did mind. It was unusual to hear anyone in the house call me Bella. Jasper had called me Bella once and I'm not sure that it was on purpose. It felt right coming from Charlotte though and I decided I liked it. I hoped she continued to call me by that.

I moved over next to the sink where the cutting board and a knife was situated and began him the process of cubing the potatoes. After I was done I dumped all the little cubes into a pot of boiling water, giving it a stir before I stuck a lid on it. Also cooking on the stove was green peas and corn on the cob.

I turned around to see what Charlotte was up to to see that she had two bowls of milk and two bowls of flour set up on the counter along with the large container of chicken pieces.

"Bella, I'm going to put you in charge of breading the chicken while I get the banana pudding ready. I always do a double coating because that's how both Peter and Jasper prefer their chicken." She said as she indicated to the bowls of milk and flour and chicken.

I nodded, knowing already how to do it because that's how my grandmother Swan had taught me to do it.

"That's how I've always made chicken. It will be a piece of cake." I explained, sparing her from having to teach me all over again how to do it.

"Excellent I leave you to it then." She went farther down the counter to the refrigerator and began pulling out all the items necessary for the banana pudding.

I went to the bowl of chicken and began the process of breading each piece thoroughly. When I was done and had filled the wire racks with the finished chicken I noticed Charlotte had ready a large cast-iron skillet on the stove. She had also covered the countertops with paper towels and placed wire racks on top of them for the chicken for when it was done. She waved me to bring over a rack. I set it on the opposite counter of the empty ones.

"I need you to start frying these while I make cornbread, if you don't mind." She said as she moved off to start whipping up said bowl of cornbread. Thankfully the double ovens were mounted into the wall and we didn't have to dodge each other when she wanted to put something in to or take something out of it and needed me working on something at stove.

After she had the cornbread in the oven she took over frying the chicken and had me put some hot plates on the counter and put the pots of the other cooking food on them and then finish the mashed potatoes. After that was finished I saw her begin to put down pieces of finished chicken on the racks and got out a stack of plates. She then instructed me to put a thigh and a drumstick on a plate along with mashed potatoes, peas, an ear of corn and a piece of the cornbread.

I watched as she took a jug of buttermilk out of the fridge and poor some into a large glass before buttering the cornbread. After she stuck a fork on the plate she handed me both the glass and the plate and told me to go deliver it to Peter and gave me instructions to where his office was. It turns out that Peter's office was only two doors down from the library.

When I got there the door was already open thankfully I could see a man with long, light blonde hair that hung freely, sitting behind a large desk. What was with all the blondes in this house? Charlotte, Jasper, Vladimir, James and now Peter, I found, all had blonde hair.

He was typing away furiously at the keyboard and I didn't exactly have a hand to knock with so I cleared my throat. He didn't stop what he was doing or look up from his computer screen, but instructed me to come on in. I approached his desk to set his plate down along with his drink but his desk was nothing like Jasper's. It was messy and utter chaos. Papers, notepads, pens and Lord knows what else was strewn from one side of the desk to the other.

"Um, where would you like me to set this?" I asked quietly. This was the first real time I'd met Peter other than seeing him that day that I'd first seen James and of course I saw seen him around the house but had never really interacted with him.

"Oh, anywhere would be fine!" He said as he waved his arm over his mess of a desk.

I look for a flat place to deposit his dinner and finally set everything down, hoping that nothing would spill.

"This smells wonderful, did you help my darlin' little wife?" He inquired with a grin that told me he knew I did.

"I did, sir. I made the mashed potatoes and breaded the chicken." I tried to be respectful because I didn't know how Peter was on any sort of subject or how touchy he was and I figured that it was better safe than sorry.

"Well bless your little pea pickin' heart. It looks like you did a fine job." He complemented with a wink. I couldn't stop my lips from quirking up into a grin.

"Thank you sir. Do you need anything else while I'm here?" I asked and hoped to be dismissed. Peter seemed sweet and charming but I didn't want his dinner getting cold and all the wonderful smells from the kitchen had caused my stomach start growling. It had taken a while to get dinner finished and by that time those tacos had well worn off.

He shook his head, that same grin still on his lips. "No darlin', go on and go eat your dinner while it's still hot." He said, nodding towards the door.

I gave him a soft smile, despite myself, and went back to the kitchen to eat with Charlotte. I'd been afraid that Peter would be cold and hard like Jasper, like he appeared to be that first day I saw him. While I was sure he could be, I was grateful that he was nice to me.

After we were done with dinner, I dropped some of the pudding off to Peter in his office. Then after that delivery was done I went to the library to pick out a couple of other books to take up to Jasper's room. I bid everyone good night and headed upstairs to lock myself in. After I reached the top of the stairs, I instantly froze as I saw James coming down the hall. He spared me a glance and a light nod and kept on going. It puzzled me because that was unlike him. He showed no interest when before I could see the gleam of intrigue in his eyes quite plainly. I hurried on my way and locked myself into Jasper's room before he could change his mind and come back to harass me.

I went through my nightly routine and put on the shirt I had worn last night before crawling into bed, deciding to lay in the middle again. I opened the book to the first page and began to read, losing myself in the story and eventually falling asleep.

Again I was plagued by strange dreams. This time I went tiptoeing from room to room, whispering lullabies into people's ears and watched as their eyes closed forever or their breathing slowly stop. When I reached the front door He was waiting on me. I could not bring myself to say the words to him though. My mouth wouldn't cooperate and my brain rejected the actions. Instead he offered me his arm and led me through the house, out the back door and to the stables where we mounted a solid black stallion and took off into the night.

I sat up abruptly in bed, startled and confused. It was still dark outside, the alarm reading four o'clock in the morning. I had left the lamp on as well as the bathroom light and I knew I was alone. I didn't know what woke me but I sat and listened to the silence until I felt comfortable with going back to sleep. Sleep came easily again but along with it the strange streams centering around Jasper and I returned.

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**Note: Teasers for reviews, as always :) Please forgive me for a lack there of from the last chapter! I'll make the next set a little longer to make up for it. To those I owe an early chapter, you'll be getting the next one to make up for it. **


	11. The Imitation of a Vacation Part III

Disclaimer: We don't own, we merely puppeteer.

A/N: I know, I know, late as usual. My apologies. Thank you to all those who have checked on us, poked at us, favorited, reviewed, and alerted. It is greatly appreciated!

First! Some exciting news. Cullen818 got published! So if you love her, go check out her page and her books! Http:/ ellajadeauthor (dot) blogspot (dot) com

Second! Si and I wrote a piece for Fandom4Storms and it's a futuretake of Learning to Kneel, about 10 chapters down the road from here. You'll get to see how the dynamic has shifted over time and how they interact differently with each other than what they do now.

Thirdly! This is late but I wrote a piece for Fandom Fights Tsunamis and July 1st was the last day to donate to receive the compilation. Although if you donate anyway and still send them your receipt, they might still send it to you. It's huge to be sure!

Fourthly! Check out the Hopeless Romantic Awards, there are some awesome authors and stories up, so go vote when it's time! Hopelessromanticawards (dot) blogspot (dot) com/

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"_Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted, it must be changed. If it cannot be changed, then it must be accepted.__"_

I awoke bright and early again the next day after a morning full of weird dreams. Today I didn't even bother trying to go back to sleep. I got up, did my morning routine and relished in picking out my clothes again. This time I was going with a long, chocolate handkerchief skirt that barely touched the ground with its tips. It had several layers and showed flashes of my legs up to my knee as I walked and moved. I paired it with a fitted cream sleeveless blouse that had a ruffled front and a silver bangle to complete the look. I had decided when I started getting dressed to forgo the panties as well as the shoes. I typically liked going commando every once in a while and with Jasper in charge of every little thing now I didn't really have that option.

I leaned on the dresser and looked at my hair with a critical eye before deciding to take a little extra time and put it all up in big, bouncy curls like Alice had just shown me on her last visit. I sighed a little, thinking of my best girlfriend. I almost wish she could see the clothes I was wearing now. She would be ecstatic. I went through the motions, reciting her instructions in my head as I watched myself perform them through the mirror. Before long I was done and unplugging the iron to cool. I left it where it sat and made to go downstairs after fastening my collar. As I opened the door though, the flutter of paper caught my attention. A note. Interesting.

_Isabella,_

_You're stuck with Charlotte for the day. We had some business to take care of but we'll be back by dinner. Stay out of trouble._

_-Stefan & Vladimir_

I shrugged lightly and stuck the note back to the door with a smack before pulling it closed behind me. To the kitchen then.

I padded my way down the hall and down the stairs, pushing against the swinging door so it would open just enough for me to slip through. Once in though, I froze immediately upon seeing James sitting on the counter and laughing with a couple of other guys. I suppose he saw the movement of the door and that caught his attention because his eyes landed on me soon thereafter.

"Isabella, I take it?" He asked politely. I didn't understand why he was acting like he'd never met me before, but there wasn't the cocky confidence that was obvious in his voice before.

"Yes, that's me." I answered cautiously, wondering if he was pretending not to know me because the others were in the room.

"Charlotte asked me to give you this." He extended a piece of lavender stationery to me as he replied to what one of the others said and laughed afterwards.

I came forward and took the note from his fingers with a mumbled thank you. As I opened it up I furrowed my brows.

_Bella,_

_Had to run a few errands and pick up some supplies so you'll have to spend the day with Peter since Stefan and Vladimir are doing business. Please take him some coffee, I'm sure his cup will be empty by the time you receive this. Fix it like you would Jasper's._

_-Charlotte_

_PS. The tarantula is at our home, so don't worry about that. :)_

Easy enough. I went to the counter where a mug was already waiting on me. I poured in the coffee before adding a little bit of cream and two teaspoons of sugar. As I stirred it, I glanced at James but noticed he'd gone back into the conversation with the others and was genuinely not paying any attention my way at all, thank goodness.

I decided to get gone while the going was good and took off towards Peter's office, leaving the laughter behind in the kitchen. The door was open when I got there and Peter was back to typing away on his keyboard, imitating machine gun fire like the first time I'd came in here. I came in and set the coffee down on the desk before taking in his appearance. He was wearing a pair of black flannel pajama pants and a T-shirt that read: _May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house_. It looked like he'd just rolled out of bed.

"Good morning, Bella." He said with a grin. I couldn't see it, but I could hear that it was there.

"Good morning, Peter. Casual Friday?" I asked, a bit cheekily, although slightly nervous as to how he would take it. I definitely didn't want punishment and especially not from Peter.

"Casual indeed. I rarely change out of my pajamas before ten. Nobody sees me anyway, so unless I have something going on I typically just take a shower and get dressed here." He motioned to a door near his desk. I could tell from the tile flooring that it was a bathroom. It most likely had a closet in there. He motioned to one of the few mismatched chairs in the room, offering me a seat.

"Nice." I said simply as I made my way to a large red wingback chair. It looked like it'd been around since the 50's, but it was extremely comfortable. Like it had been broken and worn in to the peak of perfection. I sank back into the soft upholstery and quietly observed my surroundings, really taking in the room for the first time while Peter continued to do his thing.

Peter's desk, computer systems and cushy executive chair were all obviously modern and relatively new. Everything else, for the most part, looked like they'd been around for a decade or six. The wall to the right of the door was covered in floor to ceiling shelving, but only about three quarters of it contained books. The rest held an eclectic mix of odds and ends. On the wall behind his desk, hanging right above his monitor was a very large collection of insects of all sorts in a big lucite block. There had to have been at least a hundred or more in there. I shuddered and went on to check out other things from my seat. My eyes wandered back to the bookcase again.

From what I could tell, the books were sectioned off by interest. A large section of books pertaining to communications, computers and technology were closest to the desk. I could see some small sticky notes sticking out of the tops of a few of them, keeping places to something regularly referenced most likely. I would know, I used to do the same thing.

I froze before pushing the thought away. I didn't need to dwell on that because I'd be doing it again when I was free and finishing my education. My mind cleared and my eyes went back to exploring the books.

There was a rather large section on insects and arachnids closer to where I was. I grimaced in remembrance of meeting his pet. What was it with Peter and bugs anyway? I supposed it could be worse. He could be into keeping lots of live bugs. Upon further perusal, I discovered his interest in both sniping and survival.

On the shelves that didn't hold books were other interesting items, like the entire shelf that was devoted to an impressive looking .50 caliber sniper rifle. Among the other, more harmless items were things like little potted cacti, aloe plants, a lava lamp, a variety of fedoras and a bong. What a strange man.

My eyes wandered back over to the gun. I wonder if he ever used that in this line of work? Maybe it was a replica gun made to just sit there and look cool. I didn't dare touch it or ask to find out. I didn't have to though because he apparently noticed my intrest.

"It's impressive isn't it? Thing has a good kick to it, but I'm zeroed in to fire accurately up to three quarters of a mile away. My favorite weapon." His voice startled me out of my thoughts and brought me back down to earth. When I glanced at him, he was looking at it longingly. I decided to suck it up after all and ask him a thing or two.

"Do you ever get to use it?" It was an innocent enough question. People who used guns like those proficiently had to put in a lot of time in practice. Seeing as he was apparently Jasper's IT department, I had my doubts.

"From time to time. Mostly just honing my skills when I can. Things here keep me fairly busy though. Have you ever fired a gun?" His look was curious, but his expression told me that he bet that I had.

"Yes, Charlie took me to the firing range several times. Made sure I knew how to use and care for a weapon properly." I didn't want to think about that today. Missing him was so hard on me. Hope that I'd see him again one day along with the others was my reason not to commit suicide. If I'd really wanted to I could have swallowed my tongue while Jasper was sleeping and there would have been nothing he could have done about it. Or I could have slit my wrists in the shower the past few days and nobody would have been clued in at all until it was too late. I just couldn't do that to my father. I had to hold out hope.

Peter nodded his head as he leaned his chair back, crossing his legs and steepling his fingers. His eyes got this faraway look in them as a grin played at the edges of his mouth. He came back soon enough though and began to ask me all sorts of questions from the basic to the strange and random.

Before I realized it, it was lunch time and Peter was leading the way into the kitchen. He was looking more like the professional, dangerous looking man that I'd first seen. He was wearing a crisp, pale blue shirt, tailored gray slacks and a matching vest. His hair was pulled back into a tight low ponytail at the nape of his neck and his features were schooled back into professionalism. To anyone who wasn't aware, he was in charge and I was a slave he was keeping an eye on.

I realized it for what it was, which was a front. Behind closed doors he could be more of who he really was. Or more like who he was pre-Mafia. After time spent in the organization, the front he put on naturally melded itself into his personality and became an equal amount of who he really was. Sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde like. He was who he needed to be at that particular time. I also recognized it to be a facet of the survival of the fittest mentality that accompanied these situations. If you seemed weak, you could be exploited or replaced.

I mused over the situation of living in a dog eat dog world, yet also having to work and function as an overall team.

He seemed to relax when he saw nobody in the kitchen and gestured me to the breakfast bar. I watched silently as he got out stuff for subs and brought them everything over to the counter on the other side of the bar like Charlotte would often do when she wanted me to help her out. It sorta surprised me when he set a small cutting board with a knife, freshly washed tomatoes and olives in front of me. That was very Charlotte-like. Perhaps she did the same to him at home. Slicing vegetables for him while he pulled lettuce apart and fish pickles out of a jar with the least I could do.

I carefully sliced everything and watched as he assembled the meat and vegetables to his liking before topping it with cheese. He arranged them both on a cookie sheet before sliding them under the broiler in the oven. After the cheese got all hot and bubbly he pulled them out and added ranch dressing and a little bit of mayonnaise before folding them together and cutting them in half. He put both sandwiches on a plate before adding Doritos and grabbing a couple of Cokes for us. He handed me my lunch and let us back to the office.

Once the door was closed again and he was behind his desk he was the Peter I had been getting to know all morning again. So I was right, it _was_ just a façade put on in front of others. I opened my Coke and looked over to him.

"Thank you for lunch, Sir. It looks and smells very delicious." I said quietly before taking a sip of my Coke and eating a Dorito.

Peter had already dug into his sandwich and waited until he swallowed before replying "You're welcome, Isabella. I know I'm nothing like Charlotte in the kitchen but I know I can at least make a mean sub." He finished with a cheeky grin.

I ate slowly, savoring delicious flavors of such a simple yet wonderful, familiar lunch. This was a favorite cheap eat of mine, especially after the five dollar foot-longs came out at Subway. I frequented the one on campus for lunch.

After we were finished I asked him if he wanted anything else from the kitchen before taking our plates and putting them in the sink. Charlotte was a very particular about how the dishwasher was arranged and she preferred me to just leave my items in the sink. She finally had requested for me to do this a couple of days ago after I stuffed a couple of breakfast dishes in there. I grabbed us a couple of root beers out of the fridge like Peter requested and headed back to his office. After I slipped inside I noticed he'd taken his hair out of the ponytail and shaken it out.

As I saw his profile I had a startling revelation. If his hair was a darker shade of blonde and was more curly and shorter he would've easily passed as Jasper younger brother or even as a fraternal twin. Peter either didn't notice or ignored my pause and continued on pounding away on the keyboard.

I sat quietly as he worked and thought about how easily I fell in with him, Charlotte, Stefan and Vladimir. I didn't mind his questions and it was more than easy to the respectful and polite to him as well as friendly at the same time. Before I could stop myself I thought about how much better things would be if Jasper acted more like Peter. I immediately regretted the thought and wished I could pretend it never crossed my mind. Because if he was it would just be that much harder to hate him.

It wasn't hard to respect Peter. He was easily likeable and I just didn't have it in me to resist him, try as I might. At first I'd secretly hoped he'd be more of a dick, like Jasper and that I would be able to easily dislike him also. But no, Peter had to be all damn likable. I wished that I could hate them all like I did in the beginning, but like Peter, they all grew on me like mold. It would certainly make things easier if they were all assholes though.

I sat staring off into space for a while before I was brought back to earth by Peter. He was still pounding away on that poor keyboard of his while dispensing some wisdom.

"You know, if you respected him a fraction of the amount that you respect myself and the others, your life would be so much easier. He truly only wants your respect, honesty and loyalty. Quite frankly you're lucky to still be amongst the living, not to mention relatively unharmed." He glanced at me with a meaningful look over the top of a pair of gray rectangular glasses.

I drew up short because not only did I have no idea when he put them on, but he was also pretty hot with them and that really threw me off kilter. Thank God Jasper never wore anything like those. I mentally shook myself before putting my head back where I needed it to be.

"I don't want to lose myself though." I paused for a second after I got done saying it because I don't quite think he got the message.

His forehead scrunched up before he asked, "Who said anything about you losing yourself?"

"Well, the clothes, the hair, the expected attitude? It's not me, it's a lie. How am I supposed to be honest with him if I'm having to constantly pretend to be something I'm not? I can't help but hate him. He's taken everything I love away, not to mention trying to rob me of who I truly am." I sighed and slouched, hoping he'd get the gist of what I was trying to say and hoping I hadn't said too much.

I was grateful though, when recognition lit his eyes, but not so thrilled at the next bit of dispensed advice.

"I'm not telling you to love him or even like him the slightest little bit. I'm telling you to learn how to survive like the rest of us. Give him those three things and I promise, _I promise_ _you_ things will get better." He looked sincere as he sat his head on his folded hands.

I would think on it though. It couldn't make things worse between us, that was for sure. If anything, I could focus on it being a strategical move. If I continued on as I had been, I wouldn't get anywhere. I just had to keep that in mind. If I could gain enough trust of my owner, eventually I'd be presented with the opportunity to escape. I had to think of my friends and family, not to mention my own future. A change in tactics was in order, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

I heard a drawer slide open and my eyes snapped back to Peter in time to see him pull a brown box out of the desk. He sat it down on a clear area on my side of the desk before resting his head on his hands again to watch me.

I looked back and forth between him and the box warily. I almost didn't want to know what was in the box, harmless as it looked. I finally picked it up when he got impatient with me and hitched an eyebrow. I took my sweet time opening it and was mildly surprised with what it contained. Inside was a block of lucite with three forms inside. On the left was a caterpillar, in the center was a pupa and on the right was a beautiful blue butterfly.

"I just want you to keep in mind that no matter who we are, what situation we're placed in or what we're wearing, at the end of the day we are still ourselves. Our hearts won't change unless we allow them to. We don't become different people, unless we allow ourselves. At its core, that caterpillar is still the same as it was before, during and after the transformation. Just as you will be the same no matter what you're wearing or what mask you're donning unless you allow yourself that change." With the end of his little speech, he popped open two cans of coke and handed me one.

I took it in silence and had a mental war with myself. I had originally planned on thinking about this later but now was an opportune time. The thing was, Peter was right. I thought back again on how all these people donned a mask of some sort depending on the situation they were in because they lived in a dog eat dog world. I gave a small, resigning sigh. I'd toyed with the idea for some time now but I supposed it was time to get serious about it, no matter how much of a bad taste it left in my mouth. The thought of getting back home was what I would have to use as my motivation, my reason for being at this point. For that I would do anything.

My train of thought was interrupted by the sounds of shoes clicking on tile and bags rustling in the foyer. Peter looked at me and nodded towards the door, giving me permission to go. I collected our empty cans and headed towards the kitchen, where the rustling had relocated to. After depositing the cans into the appropriate recycling container, I went over and helped Charlotte put up the groceries with the exception of what she had laid out on the counter.

"How was your day Bella?" She asked as she went to the pile of ingredients to start dinner.

"It was good, thank you. Peter is a very interesting character." I replied as I picked up the knife and started doing my part of slicing vegetables for the fajitas she was working on. She had her back to me and I could barely see her face, but from the shape her cheek was taking on I could tell it was from an amused grin forming on her mouth.

"Yes, he is indeed." She said quietly, bemusedly, before we slipped back into a comfortably quiet working atmosphere. After everything was prepped, I headed into the pantry to get the canisters of dried rice and beans. I usually made two trips because of the paranoia of dropping one or both of the large heavy glass canisters if I tried to manage both at once.

I picked up the one containing rice and turned around to head back out only to stop in my tracks. I had known it was too good to be real. There blocking the doorway was James, his sinister grin making its reappearance.

"Hello again, Isabella." He said as he made his way closer to me. On instinct, I backed away, not thinking how little room I had behind me until I bumped into the shelves. I almost dropped the canister, but tightened my grip at the last second, watching as James step forward quickly to catch it if it did fall. I wished desperately that either someone would come in or he would find a reason to leave, quickly. Instead he came closer and took the heavy glass container from my hands and set it on a shelf before placing an arm on either side of me to prop himself on the shelves. I was now stuck like Chuck.

He leaned in close, towards my neck, and took a deep breath in, letting his eyes fall shut before bringing his face right in front of mine.

"It's too bad we haven't gotten to know one another better so far. I've been off on business for the past week. That's alright though, we can make up for lost time." His voice was deceptively sweet and gentle. His eyes kept darting to my lips and I thought I was about to have a panic attack. This man very apparently thought that I was a 'free to use' commodity. Somehow, I didn't think that would go over very well with my Master.

I saw the curtain that covered the pantry door move to the side and saw Charlotte's eyes widen, then narrow before she disappeared. I hadn't looked at her directly, just with my peripheral vision, so that gave my harasser no indication that anything was amiss. His hands moved to my hips and began to caress my sides. It was all I could do not to vomit all over him. Jasper was right, I was better off with him than the others I could have ended up with. Lord knows what would have happened if I'd have been bought by someone like James.

As he was leaning in to steal a kiss, the curtain was forcefully flung open and in marched Stefan and Vladimir. Both with matching murderous looks. James whipped his head around with a glare, obviously not pleased that someone was intruding until he saw who it was. I felt relief at seeing the barely masked panic. He knew who they were and what they could make happen to him.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Vlad snarled as he grabbed James by the back of the neck and started to drag him out. He glanced at me as they went, leaning in to speak quietly enough to where I couldn't hear. Issuing some sort of threat most likely. They disappeared out of the pantry and I couldn't help but wonder if they were going to drag him off for a torture session. Some sick part of me hoped so.

Stefan remained behind and visually inspected me before speaking.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" He asked, keeping a few feet between us.

"I'm fine. He just startled me really." I said as I straightened my shirt and ran a hand through my hair.

"Has he ever done this before?" Stefan looked me in the eye with a focused, calculating look. He would know if I was lying.

"He's spoken to me before, but that's it aside from brushing some hair from my face during the encounter." I admitted. This could end up good or bad. Bad if Jasper demanded to know why I hadn't told him or good if he was ordered to keep his slimy hands to himself.

"Thank you for the truth. Come on, let's get back out there." He said before picking up the jar of pinto beans.

I didn't have to be told twice and picked up my own canister, following him back out. Charlotte had returned to working on dinner, but looked relieved when I reemerged looking unscathed.

I took the rice to the counter next to the stove and began to make a large pot of Mexican rice just the way she'd been showing me while she poured the pinto beans into the water she already had going. I picked up the salt and felt my cheeks flush as I thought about the punishment she'd walked in on about a week or so ago. I snuck a glance at her but she seemed to be in her own little world of seasoning the meats for fajitas.

The evening continued on as it had for the past couple of days, Charlotte and I working in harmony, creating a meal together. Then we would fix our plates and set the rest out on the dining room table for whoever else was in the house for dinner that night.

After we ate dinner, I stopped by to retrieve my box from Peter's office and then went on to the library for another book. I bid everyone goodnight and slipped up to the bedroom. After I locked myself in I did my evening shower and gave myself some long overdue self satisfaction.

It used to be my own escape and means of relaxation but now I was fighting to keep the visage of a set of striking blue eyes out of my imagination. It was frustrating but I finally got there and felt all the better for it.

When I went back into the bedroom I put the shirt I'd been using as a nightshirt back on and remembered something I'd promised myself. I knew if I didn't do it now there would be no telling when the opportunity would arise again.

I returned to the dresser and opened the small, top, middle drawer and let my eyes glide over all the jewelry again. I poked through the necklaces and cufflinks before venturing to the broaches and pins. I re-examined the butterfly broach again and thought back to the gift Peter gave me. Shaking my head, I went back to the exploration at hand and skipped over the earrings, going for the rings. There were several in this section.

One in particular caught my eye. It was very small; just big enough that it would fit my pinky. It was white gold with a small sapphire embedded in it. I picked it up to get a good look at it and noticed an inscription. When I went to get a better look though, I pulled a Bella, as Jake used to call it, and fumbled it. I could only watch as it bounced on the floor and went rolling straight towards the bed. I ran after it but was too late. I barely stopped in time to save my head from getting smashed on the foot board.

I sighed and dropped down to my knees, looking underneath the California king sized bed. It was the only thing under there and that's probably the only reason I saw it. I crawled around to the side and tried to squeeze under to no avail. I scowled and pursed my lips before lifting the blankets up to reveal a box spring and two mattresses. It figured.

I could only hope that he didn't go looking in his jewelry drawer any time soon, otherwise I'd be getting another ass beating. A huff escaped as I climbed up onto the bed and proceeded to settle in for the night with my newly acquired book. I couldn't focus on it though. I could only think about how tonight was my last night here in this room by myself. How I wouldn't get to choose which person I was going to spend the day with. It saddened me and I wondered what time he would get back tomorrow. I remembered Peter's gift, but didn't know what to do with it. I finally settled on placing it on the nightstand on my side of the bed.

I finally drifted off around two thirty or so and was sleeping very, very well when a noise beside the bed pulled me from the decadent slumber I was in. I listened for it again, but heard nothing. Then my imagination kicked in and I imagined straight, sandy blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and those eyes of his gleaming in malice.

I forced my body to stay in its relaxed state and peeked my eyes open slowly. The sight that met me caused me to jerk backwards quickly in surprise. There, laying on his side next to me, was Jasper. He was dressed in his pajamas and was looking at me with tired, bleary eyes. The next thing that registered was that I was too close to the edge of the bed. After that thought processed I felt my body slipping off the bed and let out a surprised squawk as I clawed for something to grab a hold of, but neither my fingers nor my nails found any purchase with anything. I ended up on my back on the hardwood floor with a thud and a groan.

A moment later, El Diablo's curly blonde head peaked over the edge of the bed and he was shaking with silent laughter. I totally stopped when I saw his grin. That was a first and it made him look even more beautiful than I'd previously believed. He looked like a dark, brooding movie star normally and this grin lit up his face more than I'd ever seen. It was dazzling.

Part of my mind reminded me that I was stupid for realizing that the Devil was beautiful. Of course he was. Even Biblically, he's described as beautiful. If the description held true, then he can sing like no other either, but I had my doubts with that. From the looks of his fingers, he was more of a musician. Some sort of stringed instrument. Ugh, I'd been speculating on him and his body way too much. My internal rambling was interrupted shortly after.

"Are you alright?" His grin was now down to a slight curl at the corners of his mouth and I was disappointed to see it go. Stupid, stupid me.

"Yes Sir, just surprised mostly. I didn't even hear you come in. All I heard was a small noise a minute ago." I replied groggily as I peeled myself off the floor into a sitting position.

"Yes, I knocked a book off my nightstand when I was setting my phone down. Come, get back in bed and go back to sleep." He instructed gently before disappearing from my sight, back to his side of the bed to settle in.

I got up and climbed back into the bed, resettling on my side and curled back up with my pillow. Apparently, Jasper was feeling chatty.

"Were you good while I was away?" He asked from his position of being stretched out on his stomach.

"Yes Master. Not even a scolding." I reported, slightly proud of myself in some fucked up way for not causing any trouble for anyone. At least I wouldn't be punished.

"Good girl. I was hoping that's what I would hear. I'll speak to the others later today and see if you're deserving of a reward. Now, go back to sleep." He instructed before switching the light out and snuggling back into his own pillow.

"Yes, Master." I got situated again and closed my eyes. After a little while of laying there, I came to the disturbing realization that I felt more at ease with him here than I had the past three days that he'd been gone. It must be because of the James situation. If he wasn't here giving me problems, I wouldn't be feeling like this. Or so I told myself. Regardless of my internal argument, I slept the rest of the night with no dreams that I remembered.

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Reviews get teasers! Thank you for reading!


	12. The Return of Familiarity

_Disclaimer: We do not own, we merely puppeteer._

Thank you to our all our readers who keep coming back for more and leave us those lovely reviews and also a big thank you to everyone who puts us on their favorites or alert lists. It is always, always appreciated. Sorry for the wait, my schedule has been changed yet again and now I'm working 60 hour weeks and bouncing weekly back and forth between nights and days, so if you could just be a wee bit patient with us for a little bit.

A note on something. Some of our readers have really, really wanted us to post this on Twilighted and we thought about it, but I was reading through the submission guidelines and found several things that I wasn't really groovy with. The whole process just seemed more complicated than I want to deal with. Submitting a chapter, waiting for it to be "approved" and then posting it. I'm slow enough as it is, I need no other reason to be any slower. Furthermore, I don't want to get to a certain point and have something not be approved and then have to take the whole thing down. On top of that, I've heard that the place isn't a very friendly a place for non-B/E stories.

Now, that all being said. If an admin or something pops up after we're through writing it and I don't have to do a bunch of hassle with it, sure, I'll post it there. Not that I foresee that, but anything is possible. Sorry guys! We're posted at Twi-Write and we're on the forums there, so you guys can always come visit there and talk :) It's really the only place we hold discussions and stuff aside from our occasional Tweet. We're also over at The Writer's Coffee Shop if you'd like to go there too.

AND! If you haven't read Release Me by Jasper's Izzy, you really, really, really, really should. 3 J'adore!

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_"Submission is not about authority and it is not obedience; it is all about relationships of love and respect."  
— William P. Young_

"And just where do you think you're going with my broom?"

"Sweet Jesus!" I gasped, turning around to face the wrath of Charlotte, "Next time warn someone before you sneak up behind them!" I whisper yelled to her, clutching my chest.

"Well, if you wouldn't try to sneak off with other peoples things, then I wouldn't have to sneak up on you now would I?" She asked with one eyebrow cocked.

I hated the way she was looking at me. Like I was caught with my hand in the cookie jar before dinner.

"I just... Need it." I mumbled, brushing the bottom of the broom against the tiled floor.

"Uh, huh," She said with a slight smirk, "I gathered that. But just where are you going with it?"

Thinking quickly I blurted out the only thing I could think of, "I saw a spider run under the bed and I was going to take care of it."

I heard a chair scraping loudly in the next room followed by a muffled 'oomph' before Peter came bursting through the kitchen door.

"It wasn't Stella was it?" He asked, breathlessly.

"Stella?"

"My tarantula! It wasn't her was it?"

"What?" I asked appalled, looking around the ground, "Did that thing get out again?"

Peter at least had the decency to look abashed as he scratched the back of his neck, looking everywhere but at Charlotte and myself, "I plead the fifth!" And just as quickly as he stumbled into the kitchen he sped away with Charlotte looking after him and me looking around the floors for that huge hairy beast he named Stella.

The broom was taken out of my hands before I had time to make my getaway and I sighed out in frustration. If I didn't get that ring back or if Jasper noticed it was missing I was going to be in deep shit.

"Char-" I started, but stopped short when she put her hand in the air.

"You can go spider hunting later," She scolded lightly, "Right now you need to bring Jasper up his afternoon snack and get back where you belong."

Deciding not to push the issue I followed her back towards the sink and began the task of getting our afternoon snack together. I knew she was right, but I really needed to get that ring too. As soon as Jasper dismissed me today to get his snack I thought I could quickly get the ring before hand and put it back in its place but obviously that didn't go as planned. It was the first day that Jasper was back and I _really_ didn't want to get into any trouble. Not with the ring and not with his snack being late. Deciding that the snack was going to have to take priority right now, I finished up before heading back to my Master's office.

After our snack, I was left with nothing to do and no reason to leave. I had no entertainment and if I sat here much longer I was going to die of boredom. I stopped and pondered if such a thing was actually possible. If it was, well, that was one sad, sad way to go. The last thing that I would see before I finally embraced death would be this stupid little stool. I sighed out loud and mindlessly cleaned the nonexistent dirt out from underneath my fingernails. The soft clicking of the computer keys followed by the rustling of papers and the occasional shuffle of his feet was the only sign that there was another occupant in this room with me. Just Jasper and myself in this Godforsaken office. Day after day and sometimes night after night.

Things were getting superfluous and my days were once again monotonous. Three days had passed since Jasper returned from his mission and in those three days he never let me out of his sights unless it was to bring him his meals. Even going to the bathroom required him to accompany me; which made peeing on command a not so easy task. It was like having to take a drug test, knowing you had to do it, but having to go through forcing yourself to go. But a part of me was grateful for his presence, while another part of me almost resented not getting my alone time any longer. I almost missed just the quietness that Vladimir and Stefan offered, and even the quirky comments from Peter. But at the same time, this time that I got with Jasper was almost nice as well. The way his fingers felt as they brushed through my hair or the gentle demeanor in which he spoke to me.

I also noticed how my body wasn't on guard at every moment either. No longer was I afraid of James popping up unexpectedly because now, Jasper was always by my side. The tension that I must have been holding in during the time that Jasper was away had built up in my back, forming knots. But after a few days of no tension the pain ceased, only leaving me feeling relieved and stress free. For the most part anyway. I even slept better and didn't have the ridiculous dreams my imagination had let run rampant.

During the past three days where I was glued to Jasper's side, he would once in a while have a visitor that would take a seat in one of the leather bear clawed chairs that sat in front of his desk, but they never concerned themselves with me. I was never even glanced at. Like they couldn't see the human sitting not two feet from Jasper. At his feet. On this fucking stool. A good thing about being see through though was that I was able to absorb a lot of information on the going-ons of this place. And absorb it I did. Like a fucking sponge in hot water.

They talked about the illegal workings of shipping girls and firearms and even the occasional rival that might try to take over business or get in their way. I always shook my head when I heard them speak of taking out a competitor of theirs but I never felt bad about it. The way I saw it was they were just taking out more drug leaders and more men that might kidnap innocent girls like myself. If Jasper and his 'men' got rid of other men like themselves, who was I to judge?

I glanced up from my nails to see Jasper holding another cookie in between his fingers. My stomach grumbled suddenly making me painfully aware that he somehow forgot about lunch. Without further instruction I leaned forward and gently took the cookie from his fingers, careful not to touch them with my teeth or my tongue.

"Good girl." He praised as he ran his fingers through my hair, while I happily chewed on the chocolate topped cookie.

I don't know how much more time had passed when Jasper stood up from his chair, and began walking the room.

"Do you remember what today is?" He asked while not looking at me.

I clenched the nail file in my hand and bit my tongue until the temptation to be a smart-ass passed. Of course I knew what today was. I dreaded it and yet looked forward to it all at the same time.

"Today is the day that Master Bal comes to stay with us... Master." I said not too kindly.

"Watch your tone, Isabella." Jasper warned, shooting me a glare.

I quickly bowed my head so Jasper wouldn't see the fire that no doubt burned behind my eyes. Taking that as a sign that I accepted the chastisement Jasper continued on.

"You know the rules that I have set up for you while Bal and his slave are here," He said, "You are free to talk to Makenna on your own time, but in the presence of us, you will remain silent at all times unless asked something directly. Understand?"

"Yes Master." I said.

"You might even learn a thing or two from her." He said, sitting back down behind his seat.

I inwardly scoffed at that statement. The only thing I wanted to learn from her was how to pick a lock. Instead of saying anything, I just shifted on my stool and went back to playing with my nails. There was nothing that I could say that would change the situation. And if I was being honest with myself I did want to see Makenna again. Not a day went by where I didn't think of her and wonder what had happened to her. I just didn't know which one of us drew the shorter end of the stick. Me being stuck with Jasper as a 'Master', or her being stuck with Bal. Both men were terrifying in their own ways and the fact that they were good friends didn't bode well for either of us. Seeing the sliver of brown out of my peripheral vision along with the smell of the sweet chocolate, I looked up and once again leaned forward as Jasper offered me the tasty treat. This time before I was able to take the cookie from him, he held my chin in between his fingers, his eyes burning with some kind of intensity.

"You will be on your best behavior while they are here," He demanded, "Or else I will not hesitate to put you back in the isolation room."

I felt my face drain of the little color it had as he mentioned the isolation room and immediately knew that I would not screw up while they were here. Another spanking I think I could handle, but not the isolation room. Never the isolation room.

"Yes Master." I breathed.

His lips turned up in a half smile as he fed me the last cookie before once again turning back to his computer screen, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Not knowing when Bal and Makenna were due to arrive I had just decided to lay at Jasper's feet for a quick cat nap when there came three sharp knocks on the door. As I startled awake I groaned quietly to myself, unhappy to be disturbed from my would-be nap. If it was another one of Jasper's men come to talk more strategy with him that was going to take longer than an hour, I was going to take my nap anyway. I just hoped Jasper wouldn't mind it in the presence of "company".

"Come in." Jasper stated firmly, not even looking up from his computer screen.

Instead of the usual goon that came in though, I was surprised as Vladimir and Stefan entered. No longer tired, I watched as they moved as one to the chairs in front of the desk and sat down easily, their facial expressions giving nothing away. Jasper didn't say anything to them and they didn't offer anything in return. Instead they kept their eyes on Jasper as he finished whatever it was he was doing on his computer. After the last few days that I was alone with them and their somewhat easy going disposition around me during that time, I thought that they might have looked at me or something, but they never once took their eyes off of what was ahead of them. Not even a glance my way in acknowledgment. It almost hurt as the weight of everything came crashing down on top of me. They were not my friends. And they never promised to be so. They were my baby-sitters while my "Owner" was away. And if there was any doubt of that in my mind, it fled as Jasper opened his mouth to speak.

"What's the status report?"

"Your slave was well behaved for us while you were away," Vladimir said, while Stefan nodded along, "You will hear no complaints on our end. She did as she was told and not once even needed a reminder to keep her tone in check. Usted debe estar muy orgulloso. Not many new slaves would adjust so well the first time their Master is away."

I turned to Jasper as Vladimir stopped speaking to see what he would think of my behavior while he was gone and wasn't surprised that his face held no emotion. Instead he inclined his head that he understood before speaking again.

"And the pantry incident?" Jasper asked, his eyes hardening.

"Cuidado de." Said Stefan, his eyes also narrowed, "We took care of him and left him alive for you to deal with as you saw fit."

"I want to pull off his fingers one by one and shove a grenade up his ass and watch him explode into tiny pieces," Jasper growled, "Remind me why I keep him here?"

"They are the best we have in maintaining innocence in the legal system when one is guilty and the other isn't. With them it can't be proved because they do their jobs so well." Vladimir said with a shrug, "You get rid of one and it wrecks the setup. It is you who will not kill an innocent. Aunque creo que deberia hacer una excepcion. Just as long as you're sure you are picking the right one."

By now my head was slightly dizzy from going back and forth as the men conversed between each other. But, my mind was completely lost. What in the hell did that mean? To get rid of one you wreck the setup? And who in the hell was the innocent? Surely he wasn't talking about getting rid of myself? I was for sure, the only innocent thing in this room. No, in this entire fucking household, besides Charlotte. Feeling like I was on the edge of a panic attack I missed out on the rest of the conversation and just focused on not passing out. Had I become so much of a burden to Jasper that he was ready to get rid of me? Had I not shown enough progress for him that he was getting impatient and ready to either be done with me or to go back on his one promise to me? The words that Peter spoke to me just a few days ago bounced around inside my already muddled mind. _"__I__f you respected him a fraction of the amount that you respect myself and the others, your life would be so much easier. He truly only wants your respect, honesty and loyalty. Quite frankly you're lucky to still be amongst the living, not to mention relatively unharmed."_

Have I not shown my respect or my loyalty to him? My inner voice scoffed at that passing thought and I knew it was right. I haven't shown Jasper shit, but then again, a part of felt he wasn't worthy of it. But was my thinking going to wind up getting me killed? Peter did say that I was already lucky that I was still living, not to mention unharmed, and now... I would have to agree.

My head was suddenly picked up, none too lightly and warm breath fanned across my face, bringing me back to the conversation at hand, "How many incidences have there been with him touching you, Isabella?" Jasper whispered.

I tried to speak, but the hair that was wrapped around Jasper's fist was pulled too tightly and my throat was raw with emotion. I had to clear it twice just to get what I needed out, "J-Just the two, Master."

His hand immediately left my hair, my head pulled into his chest. I breathed out in relief and could feel the tears poking at the corners of my eyes. What was going to happen to me now?

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't toss you back into the Isolation Room?" Jasper asked, bringing my face away once more to look me in the eyes.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, a tear falling down my cheek, "I didn't think you would believe me. He's a man of yours, and... I'm not. I'm just a slave. You have no reason to believe me over him. Please don't send me back there," I begged desperately, "_Please_."

I closed my eyes and just waited for Jasper to give the order to Vladimir to take me back to the room of horror. Not only did another man touch me, his _property_, but I didn't even tell him about it. Which I was sure, meant a one way ticket to the Isolation Room.

To my complete surprise and relief though Jasper chuckled darkly, causing my eyes to snap open, "You get off on a technicality here, Isabella," He warned, "But in the future if something like this happens again, you are to inform me or one of your guards immediately. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Master." I said quickly, and a bit breathlessly.

"Very well."

It wasn't that much longer later when Jasper's phone rang once more, alerting us that Jasper's guests have arrived. I stayed seated on my stool and waited for instructions. I was dreading meeting Bal again, though he was nice enough to me the first time. But a part of me was more afraid of seeing Makenna again.

What if Bal abused her? What if she was too frightened to even talk to me? What if Bal didn't let her? But the more pressing thing on my mind was that I had no idea what to expect. We only spoke shortly once, and that seemed like a lifetime ago. And during that time she was trying to convince me to embrace my slavery and to survive. I did a quick mental run through of my body and besides a sore, somewhat bruised ass, I guess you could call this surviving. The only problem was that it was not living. And there was a big difference between just surviving and living. I blinked in surprise as Jasper's hand came to hang in front of my face, palm up, before I hesitantly put my palm in his. His hand was warm, yet smooth. And oddly enough, familiar. It was the one constant thing in my life, as bad as that sounded. Whether that hand was spanking my ass, doing my hair, or helping me off the stool, it was always there. And yes, sometimes it brought pain, but at the same time it brought me comfort. I shook my head of those contradicting thoughts and dutifully followed Jasper out of the office and down the stairs. I barely even registered the jingle of my collar any longer. It just seemed to be a part of me now.

As we descended the stairs the first thing I saw was the smiling face of Balthazar. His hands were in the pockets of what looked like an expensive suit and his smile was genuine. As if there was nothing more in the world that he wanted than to be at Jasper's house.

"Jasper, my old friend," He said joyfully as soon as we were standing beside him, "It has been too long."

Jasper laughed as they embraced as brothers might do, "Too long Bal?" He asked, "I just saw you a couple of days ago."

"Ah yes, but really, when did we have time to talk and relax when we were ridding the world of the competition?" He asked rhetorically with a hearty laugh.

It took every ounce of self control I had not to snort at that statement. Ridding the world of the competition? At that point I tuned out Bal and Jasper as my gaze fell on Makenna. I startled in surprise by her appearance. I didn't even see her standing there! She was mostly behind Bal, off to the left just a tad bit with her head down so she was looking at the floor. Her midnight black hair was longer than it was last time, hanging around her face like drapes. My eyes inspected her as much as they could and to my relief I couldn't see any physical marks on her but that didn't mean anything. Maybe they were where they weren't visible to the public eye? Bal seemed to have the same fashion sense as Jasper did because Makenna was dressed in a simple yellow dress that hung to just before her knees with flowers embroidered on the side. Her feet were donned with simple white sandals that secured her ankles.

Seeing nothing out of the ordinary on her I brought my attention back to Jasper and Bal just as Jasper was instructing me to take Makenna to the room they would be staying in to get settled in a bit before dinner.

I mumbled a quick 'Yes Master' and reached out for Makenna's hand. After looking to Bal and getting a small nod of approval she intertwined her fingers with mine, picked up a small black bag and nodded her head for me to lead the way. Remembering that Peter's demonic pet was still on the loose I scanned the floors quickly before making the way to the staircase.

"Watch your step," I advised her, "You never know when Peter's pet will be lurking around the corner, waiting to attack."

I looked to Makenna to see she was looking at me questioningly, "Pet?" She asked, "What kind of pet?"

I nodded solemnly as I heard Jasper chuckling in the background, "A Mexican Red Kneed Tarantula." I said shivering. "We think it's trying to mate. So there could be more around, but hopefully not." I added in seeing the look of terror on Makenna's sweet face.

As our feet touched the first stair Jasper's humor filled voice called out to us, "Makenna, I can assure you that his pet is securely locked up tight in its cage and will not be bothering you. Isabella is over-exaggerating. She's still bitter because said pet was hoping to mate with her."

At those words Bal roared with laughter and even I had to quirk my lips in amusement. It wasn't very often that Jasper made jokes. At least not in front of me. And to see him like he was now, with a genuine smile on his face, well, it was a different side of him that I rarely got to see. And a part of me wanted to see this side of him more often, even if it meant I was the butt of the joke. As the men went back to their conversation I gripped Makenna's hand tighter in my own and led her down the long hallway to the third bedroom on the right.

"Master's room is the first door on the right, so there's a bedroom separating us to give the two of you more privacy." I explained to her as we went inside the bedroom.

I closed the door a little bit, only leaving it open a crack, not sure if we could have the door fully shut or not. I turned around to see that Makenna had stashed her bag in one of the closets and had made herself at home on the floor. Not sure where to sit, I followed Makenna's lead and sat down on the floor in front of her, folding my legs beneath me so I didn't flash her my panties.

"You look like you're managing well." Makenna said softly, brushing a stray piece of her hair behind her ear.

I shrugged my shoulders and made a strange noise in my throat. Now that she was here in front of me I had no idea what to ask her or what to say. We were both slaves and held against our will... Right? Why was this so difficult? Not to mention that the last time I saw her, she had seen me at my absolute worst, having bathed me and shaved me, prepping me for Jasper.

"Isabella," Makenna said softly while moving to her knees, closer to me and taking my hands in her smaller ones, "You don't need to be afraid. Whatever is said in this room, I will not repeat." She promised.

"There's really not much to say," I whispered, "I'm still here. And I'm still nothing more than a pet."

"A cherished pet," Makenna countered, "Someone that will always have the best of everything, and want for nothing."

I felt my jaw drop open at her simple agreement with me. Cherished pet though? I didn't think so. Makenna must have seen the doubt cross my face because she stood up and pulled me into a hug.

"You'll see," She said, "You will see that sometimes things work out certain ways for a reason. Even if we can't see what those reasons are just yet."

The bedroom door opened then so I never did have a chance to respond. Instead Bal and Jasper stood in the entryway of the door, both beckoning us with their hands to come back out to the living area.

Letting go of one another I watched Makenna closely as she immediately bowed her head and stepped forward to grab Bal's hand. Looking back to Jasper I saw him watching me as closely as I was watching Makenna and I couldn't help the blush that spread across my cheeks. Raising my head high, I reached out and grabbed his hand as well, barely holding on. Together we led the way back to the living area where trays of snack foods were set up. Jasper took a seat in one of the black, leather recliner chairs, motioning for me to sit at his feet. Inwardly rolling my eyes, I plopped down on my knees beside the arm rest of the chair. Balthazar led Makenna over to the love seat directly across from us, settling her in between his legs. I watched as she knelt down gracefully, folding her tiny hands in her lap, still keeping her head bowed. With a casual touch to the top of her head, Makenna looked up at Bal and the look in her dark eyes was a look of something that I never thought I would see coming from her. She looked at Bal with devotion and respect, and if I wasn't mistaken, perhaps even love. I watched incredulously as Bal fed her bits and pieces of fruit and crackers from his hand, occasionally running his fingers through her hair.

"It's incredible to watch, is it not?" Jasper's voice whispered into my ear.

I didn't even realize I was staring. Turning my gaze quickly away, I instead focused on Jasper. He was shifted in his seat so that he was leaning towards me on the right hand side, his hand stroking the top of my head.

"I don't understand." I muttered to myself.

My eyes stayed locked on Jasper's blue ones as he smiled half-heartedly. "There's nothing to understand," He said wistfully, "They have a bond that is impenetrable. She is just as devoted to him as he is to her." He said.

I turned back to the couple in front of us at a loss as to what to think. Makenna practically revered him. But why? Turning back to Jasper and remembering the way he defended me against James, I could see a possibility though. Jasper was my protector. He was the only one that I was in constant contact with and because of that, it made us have a bond that I would never have with anyone else. Jasper never let anything bad befall me, purposefully. Like the spider, and James. And I most certainly didn't have it as bad here as some other girls out there. In a sense I had come to trust Jasper for a lot of things. Food, shelter, clothing... Things that I used to never give a second thought about because I provided for myself and didn't have to rely on anyone else. I looked back to Jasper as he held a green grape in between his fingers. Gazing into his eyes for a moment I leaned forward and took the offered grape from him with my lips. I pulled back quickly and chewed on my grape thoughtfully, letting the cool juices slide down my throat as Jasper continued to brush his fingers through my hair. Instinctively I leaned into his touch, my head resting in his palm.

While Bal and Jasper continued to catch up I kept my eyes trained on Makenna, with the occasional look to Jasper or Bal. But mostly I watched Makenna with a vivid interest. Sometimes her hand would rub on the inside of Bal's thigh and other times she would lay her head down on his lap. Not once did Bal stop his ministrations of touching her hair or some other part of her body. It was like he couldn't get enough of her and vice versa. It was...odd. Yet, inside it was something that I was beginning to crave for myself. My body had gone so long without loving, intimate touches from a man, that I was almost envious of Makenna at this point. Sometimes I found myself lost in the feeling of Jasper's hands that I didn't even realize that I was enjoying his touches until it was too late and I was too far gone to fight them any longer. Though, true to his word, Jasper never touched me sexually, or tried to force me into anything sexual at all. It was just the little touches and brushes from him that I craved, and that craving made me sick to my stomach. I was sick. My mind had begun to twist irrevocably but I couldn't bring myself to care too much about it.

"Isabella?"

My gaze quickly turned from Makenna to Bal, my trademark blush heating up my face at being caught gawking at our guests. I kept my eyes trained on Balthazar though, since he was the one to pull my attention away from my jumbled, albeit fucked up thoughts.

"Yes Master Bal?" I asked as politely as I could muster.

"My pet has been looking forward to seeing you again for a while now," He said smiling fondly at Makenna, said pet, "Perhaps you would be so kind as to take her on a tour of your Master's home before dinner?" He asked.

I smiled hesitantly at him knowing that his request was not a request at all, but more of a demand. Looking over to Jasper to see what he thought of that I saw that he was smiling and nodding his head.

"I would be happy to." I replied.

"Wonderful!" Balthazar said enthusiastically, "Slave, go with Isabella and enjoy yourself. I'll come and get you for dinner." He said standing and helping Makenna to her feet.

I looked on unabashedly as Makenna rose gracefully and lifted her head towards Bal. Knowing what she was looking for Bal immediately leaned down closer to her and took her mouth with his. Confused as hell I watched on as Makenna grasped his upper arms in her tiny hands, holding on to him with what looked like all her might. Bal simply continued to nip at her bottom lip, causing her to giggle softly. His arms were holding onto her lower back, but she wasn't trying to get away from him. In fact, she was pressing herself against him as if she was trying to get into his pocket! Thoughts that maybe she was required to kiss him before she left immediately flew from my mind as something told me that kissing him was something that she wanted and liked to do. I turned away from them as Jasper's hand wrapped around my waist once more, bringing me closer to him. I looked up into his eyes to see him watching his friend as closely as I was. But what I saw shocked me more than their display had. He almost looked... Wistful. He sighed out softly before looking back down upon me, all traces of emotion gone from his face. Instead he smiled lightly at me, turned me back around to face the happy couple in front of us and kept his hand on the back of my neck, playing with the strap of the collar. I kept my arms pressed to my sides, yet let my side melt into his frame. Just one moment of needing that touch, I promised myself. Just the one time of actually wanting to be close to him and I would get it out of my system. As soon as Makenna and Bal broke away, he smiled down on her before whispering something into her ear, too low for us to hear. Whatever he said made her sober up quickly as she nodded her head and replied back quickly. Wasting no more time Bal gestured for her to go to me and together we gave one last look to our Masters before we hastily left their presence. Questions were running through my mind a mile a minute and I needed to get them out before I exploded.

Taking Makenna out to the back yard first so that we wouldn't be overheard I quickly pulled her down the stone steps not even giving the body guards a second glance as we settled into the garden.

"What in the hell was that?" I asked her shocked and no longer able to hold it all in.

My breathing was hard and if I was completely honest with myself their little display of public affection scared me. What if Jasper expected that from me now? I knew that I saw something in his eyes as he watched them and whatever I saw scared the hell out of me. It was longing. Like he wanted nothing more than to be in Bal's position. But with Makenna or with me? A little nagging voice inside my head scoffed at my obvious denial. _It's obvious he wants you_, it said mockingly. _And it's just a matter of time until he takes what he wants. _

I shook my head and dropped down onto the bench in front of the fountain that took up residence in the middle of the garden. The garden was mostly dirt but it was filled with plants and flowers here that were native to Mexico and the Southwest. Which was obvious, anything less than a native flower wouldn't survive out in this dry heat. But the fountain was one of my favorite things... Not that I would ever admit that out loud though. Sighing loudly I saw Makenna plop down gracefully next to me, and I was thankful that she was letting me have a moment to myself. I couldn't handle this shit. My body and my mind were at war with one another and it was spinning me into a total mind fuck. My body yearned and needed the touches that Jasper gave me but my mind called me a sick fuck for enjoying them so much. The man kidnapped me! He spent an obscene amount of money to acquire me and was keeping me as his fucking pet! It was Stockholm Syndrome at its best.

"You are confused." Makenna said, kneeling beside me.

"I just don't understand." I admitted softly.

She didn't answer right away, instead she looked around the garden with a small smile on her face.

"He is more than just my Master," She said quietly, "Or my owner. Though he is both. But... He is also so much more."

I looked at her in shock to see that she was watching me closely, the smile never leaving her lips. She looked happy, contrite... In love. And it was something that I was not expecting. She was in love with him? The man that took away her freedom?

"He bought you!" I exclaimed, "You're his slave."

"He saved me." She countered. "And technically, he never bought me." She added on as an after-thought.

Grasping my hand in hers she tugged gently until we were both standing.

"I don't understand how you can be saved from something worse than slavery." I countered as we continued walking the garden.

"There are many evils in this world, Bella," Makenna said sadly, "But this life is the lesser of them. Bella, I know that this is something you are having a hard time grasping, but believe me, this life is much better than some of what is out there. I know. I've seen it... I've lived it."

I nodded my head slightly and patted her arm in return in what I hoped was a soothing manner, "I believe you," I said, "But I've never been in your position. Compared to the life I had before this, this life right here is the evil one. Where I come from there are no lesser of the two evils. There was no being thankful for being a servant rather than a sex slave... Where I'm from I had a choice. I had a family. A future. I was happy... And now I'm nothing."

I didn't say anything more as we went back inside the house. I took her on a general tour, but not really paying much attention to what I was pointing out to her. We ran into Charlotte about halfway through who brought us back to the kitchen so we could help set up everything for dinner. As Makenna left through the swinging door to deliver a plate of food to the table, Charlotte turned to face me, handing me a plate to take in after Makenna.

"I informed Jasper of the spider you saw underneath his bed," She said casually, causing my blood to run cold, "He and Balthazar went up there now to check it out for you. I know how much you hate spiders."

I could practically feel my eyeballs bugging out of their sockets as what she said sunk in. Jasper was up there now, looking around under the bed for a nonexistent spider. Instead he was going to find the ring. The ring that I took out of the drawer without his permission. The ring that I lost.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Charlotte asked, feeling my forehead, "You went awfully pale just now."

I felt a bead of sweat drop in between my shoulder blades and I'm sure I looked deathly pale. But what was I supposed to say to her? She had no idea that by doing that she just signed my death certificate. Okay, maybe that was an over-exaggeration, but I knew that my bottom was not going to come out of this unscathed. Hell I would be lucky not to get the Isolation Room for this. I shouldn't have lied in the first place! If I had just been honest with her up front she might have been able to help me. Now I was completely on my own and completely screwed.

"I'm fine." I whispered, willing my hands to stop shaking before I dropped the rice bowl.

I walked out slowly to the dining room, relieved to see Jasper and Bal not seated yet. Makenna was standing by her Master's chair, her head bowed in submission. I set the bowl on the table and took my place next to Jasper's chair, as was expected, wringing my hands together. It felt like a lifetime later when I finally heard the men's voices and steps as they came to the table. Keeping my eyes on the ground I didn't move until Jasper said to have a seat beside him. I kept my eyes trained on the white table cloth though, not daring to look up and see the fire of fury he was bound to have in his eyes. But, that did me no good. My eyes widened in horror as Jasper slipped the ring into my eyesight. He had found it.

* * *

Reviews get teasers!


	13. Uncharted Territory

**Author's Note: No excuses about the delay. We're really sorry. Jamie has not had a computer for months and it makes talking to her nearly impossible and trying to write on LTK even more impossible. I was also pretty fail about the reviews this go around and I'm deeply sorry for that as well. Again, no excuses, just my baby has been sick for a month and running a bunch of tests etc took it out of me. I promise to try and do better this time!**

**Disclaimer: We do not own, merely puppeteer. **

_"One must do violence to the object of one's desire; when it surrenders, the pleasure is greater" ~ Marquis De Sade _

I stared at the ring, my bod tingling in dread and anticipation, knowing that I had gotten caught. But my mind warred with me, demanding me to lie, my instincts kicking in telling me to 'survive'.

"That's a pretty ring, Master." I whispered, as politely as I could.

Jasper's eyebrows shot up in what could have been amusement or confusion. I wasn't sure, before his features went back to neutral.

"It is." He agreed easily, still looking at me with those piercing blue eyes.

I could practically feel the heat of Bal's and Makenna's stare on me as Jasper and I sat, looking at one another, neither one of us willing to break the eye contact first.

"Do you know where I found this 'pretty ring'?" He asked, picking up said ring and holding it closer to his face for inspection, finally breaking the staring contest between us.

I wanted to tell the truth. A part of me knew that if I told the truth he would be more pleased than if I just outright lied. But my mouth spoke before my mind could catch up, "I don't know. Master."

I could feel the blood rushing to my face as Jasper moved his scrutiny off the ring and to myself once again. His eyes narrowed and his lips were pursed. He was mad. But unless you knew Jasper as well as I did and studied his features as much as I have, you would never know.

"I found it underneath the bed when I was looking for a spider."

I could feel sweat on the back of my neck and even in the sundress I was in, I felt over-heated. I fidgeted in my seat slightly trying to adjust my sweaty legs where I had them crossed. I chanced a glance to my left to see if Bal and Makenna were paying attention to us, only to catch Bal's eye as he openly grinned at me, looking like he was trying to keep from just laughing his ass off. Makenna at least had the decency to look down at the table, as if she couldn't hear what was going on between my Master and I.

It took everything in me not to glare back at Bal before I turned my focus back on Jasper.

"Did you find the spider?" I asked meekly.

"I didn't," He replied serving himself and myself some food, "But I'll have Peter let Stella out in there later. I know she'll find it for us."

I shivered horribly at the thought of Stella loose in there again, and was going to protest when Jasper cut me off.

"Do you have any idea, what-so-ever, how this ring ended up under the bed, Isabella?" He asked.

I pushed around some of the food on my plate and then looked up to Jasper. The blood rushed to my face and I felt like this was an adrenaline rush. My heart was trying to beat outside of my chest and for some reason I couldn't breathe properly. _Tell the truth! He knows! This is getting you nowhere!_ I wanted to tell him. I wanted to beg for his forgiveness and grovel at his feet to not send me to the isolation room.

"I do not know, Master." I whispered, wringing my hands in my lap.

Jasper stared at me for a moment longer before nodding his head slightly, his eyes cold as ice.

"Very well."

Jasper then took out his phone and starting typing away on it, leaving me curious as to what he was going to do next. A few seconds after he had put his phone back in his pocket, Vladmir appeared by Jasper's side, looking intense. Jasper spoke in his ear for a moment, throwing a quick glance my way, before speaking again, and then waving him off. If I had any doubts as to whether Jasper knew I was lying before, they were completely gone now. The man knew. Without a doubt.

Conversation between Bal and my Master continued around me like nothing was out of the ordinary. But my attention was on the tiny ring that was still sitting in the same place Jasper put it. By my plate. He left it there to torture me. He left it there to mind fuck me. To show me that he knew, and that he wasn't going to let this slide. I had to swallow repeatedly to keep my tears at bay. I wouldn't show him weakness. Not here, not now. The food was passed around the table but I don't remember serving myself. I halfheartedly pushed around some rice on my plate, nibbling on bits and pieces here and there.

Jasper's hand came to rest on the top of my thigh, his fingers digging in slightly. I looked up to see him staring at me, his eyes traveling to the plate and then back to me. His eyes were narrowed slightly, his eyebrow cocked, but other than that, he gave off no emotion. What was he thinking? What was he feeling? He didn't look as angry as I thought he would be, but that didn't mean anything. The man could spank me without showing any kind of emotion.

"Eat." He commanded, gripping my thigh harder.

I nodded my head and put a small forkful of rice into my mouth. To me it tasted dry and bitter and it took all my willpower not to choke it back up. By the time the clattering of forks against the plates ended, my food had still barely been touched. Instead I placed my fork on my plate as well and clasped my hands on my lap underneath the tablecloth. I kept my eyes trained on my hands, not wanting to look up. The not knowing of what was going to come next was killing me though. I'm starting to wish that Jasper had just spanked me or thrown me in the isolation room when he found the stupid ring. This waiting for the other shoe to drop was torture.

"In light of recent events, I invite you and your slave to join us in the sitting area." Jasper said, wiping his mouth with his white cloth napkin.

Immediately everyone stood, no one making eye contact with myself. A feeling of dread settled into my stomach as Jasper guided me into the sitting area, by my collar, where there was a table set up in the center. Upon closer inspection I saw three items that made my stomach churn.

A hairbrush. A paddle the size of Jasper's foot. And a black, leather belt.

Tears sprang to my eyes and I turned around to face Jasper, willing myself not to cry.

"A little humility will do you good." He murmured, looking down into my fear stricken eyes.

My lips trembled and I bit my bottom lip to make it stop, but all that did was cause Jasper's frown to become more pronounced.

"Bal, you and your slave may sit in the chair off to the right of me, to get a better angle." He said calmly, as if he was talking about nothing more significant than the weather.

As he led me a little farther away from the table his words finally registered in my mind. He was letting them stay to witness this? He was going to let them watch him beat me?

_A little humility will do you good. _That's what he meant! He meant for them to see this. He wanted them to see what was about to happen. My will to stay strong crumbled as I watched Bal sit in the chair, a smirk on his face, settling Makenna on his lap. Her eyes were downcast, but in that second that I looked at her, she caught my gaze. Her eyes were filled with un-shed tears, but for what, I didn't know. Was it for me? Was it for her? It didn't even matter though, in that second the tears that I had held off for so long came leaking out like running water. I never realized that my punishments before had been relatively private compared to this, and now I felt like I was on display. My body and my faults. Both physically and mentally. I was jerked forward, stumbling slightly, not able to see much through my tears. Wiping them away as best as I could, I felt my arm being tugged down and saw that Jasper was sitting in a chair, near the table of doom.

My body seemed to be on auto-pilot as I let him guide me over his lap, his left arm resting in the middle of my back, keeping me completely still. I could feel the blood rush to my head, and lifted my head a tiny bit, grasping my hands around the legs of the chair.

"Please." I whimpered pitifully, "Please don't do this!"

Without answering, Jasper instead lifted the back of my dress up so that I could feel the coolness of the air around us on the backs of my legs and small of my back. My white, bikini cut panties on display for all to see. I squirmed, knowing that it would be futile. A sharp pain across my bottom made me stop, shocking me into silence.

"Move again, and you'll get worse." He threatened.

I choked on my tears as they fell down my face, my sobs ringing out in the room. If Bal or Makenna were saying anything, I couldn't hear them over my cries and pounding in my ears. I only cried harder as I felt my panties being slipped down to my ankles, before Jasper removed them completely. Now, my ass was on display for anyone and everyone.

"Your ass looks so good with my hand print on it." Jasper commented, running his fingers over the heated area where he spanked me.

"Do you know why you are being punished, my pet?" He asked.

I sniffled, and tried to get a hold of my sobs, but my body was shaking like a leaf in unadulterated fear, "Because I went through your things, M-Master."

Jasper chuckled, before his hand connected with my bottom once more, "No." He replied, "And I'm a bit offended that you feel like I would punish you for your curiosity in my bedroom."

I screamed as he rubbed out the sting with the palm of his hand.

"You are being punished for lying. Not for being a woman. Women are curious by nature. And as I expected, you are no different. Now, try again. Why are you being punished, slave?"

"B-Because I lied about the ring," I cried, I knew that he knew. I knew I should have just come clean in the first place.

"And because I am curious," Jasper said as I hiccuped, "Please, explain to me how that ring came to find purchase underneath the bed."

I swallowed back a moan as his hands continued to rub my ass. Occasionally he would squeeze a spot here or there, but his fingers felt cool on the heated areas.

"I was looking through the drawers, Master. I found the ring, but then accidentally dropped it and it rolled beneath the bed. I was going to get it, I just didn't have the time. You came home that night." I explained as best as I could.

"And should I expect to find any more of my possessions lying around at odd places throughout the house?" He asked, giving my bottom another sharp slap.

"No, Master!"

"Good. Thank you for finally coming clean, Isabella." He said, "And if you had just done this before, you would not be in the position that you are in now. Perhaps this will teach you a lesson, should this situation arise again. Now, you are to count each of your lashings and then thank me for it afterward. If you miss one, I will start over. I can do this all night, slave, it's up to you for how long it lasts for."

I didn't even have time to reply before a white-hot searing pain soared through my entire body. I screamed loudly, sure that if we had neighbors in a ten mile radius, they would have heard me. I had never felt pain like that before.

"One!" I screamed, sobbing, "T-Thank you, Master."

Another bright light lit up behind my eyes as pain even worse than the first rocked through me. He hit the tops of my thighs.

"Two! Thank you, M-Master."

I didn't know what he was using on me, but it sure as hell wasn't his hand. And it wasn't hard, like a brush or paddle. That only left one thing. The leather belt. He was relentless in the blows and my ass and thighs felt like they could be bleeding by now. Sitting for at least a month was going to be out of the question. Somehow I still managed to count and thank him after each one. Not missing one, but not doing it fast enough for his liking, I'm sure.

"Sixteen!" I sobbed, "Thank you, Master, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"You will be." He said, not stopping.

I don't know when my body became numb, but I would venture a guess between hits twenty-four to thirty-one. My mind shut down, my ass on fire, yet I was still managing to count the blows. A part of me didn't even realize when Jasper had stopped. My eyes were shut tightly, tears still leaking from the corners. But, I was in another world. A world of no pain, no slavery, and no leather belts. Words were being spoken, but I didn't care. If they were generated to me, I wouldn't know. My body lay limp as someone lifted me in their arms, carrying me, to where, I didn't know. Hiccups escaped me randomly, along with tears and broken sobs. But still, my mind was elsewhere. The pain that was coursing through my body was unbearable, and yet... I bore.

My hair was matted to my head in sweat, my head pounding, snot and tears mixing together on my face. I'm sure that if I was in my right mind, I would be horrified, but as it was, I just didn't care. Nothing mattered to me except for the pain. It wasn't in just the areas he took his belt to. No, the pain was all over. My entire body felt like he had taken the belt to every inch of me, though I know he didn't.

"This was for your own good, my pet." He whispered into my ear.

That was the last thing I heard, before the darkness finally claimed me.

That night was sleepless as I continued to wake up, hissing and gasping as I would accidentally roll over on to my back. As soon as my bottom touched the bed, pain like I had never before felt would shoot through me causing me to whimper. First I was surprised to even be on the bed. I thought for sure he would have placed me back in the kennel. But, maybe Jasper had realized I had enough for one day.

When I woke up crying for the fourth time due to a very realistic dream of Jasper taking the belt to me with me tied to a whipping bench, I finally caved and asked for some kind of medicine, in hopes to help with the discomfort and with the horrible nightmares.

"No, pet," Jasper chuckled, running his fingers through my sweaty hair, "You need to remember this pain for next time. Perhaps next time you will realize that it's not worth it to lie to me."

His words just made me cry harder, but I lay back down with Jasper lying directly behind me, careful not to touch me. Instead he whispered words of how good I was and how well I took my punishment. And if I could be a good girl, I would get rewards and not scolding's. My mind was definitely not in the right place, because I fell asleep again wondering what things someone like Jasper would consider a reward for someone like me.

"Bella."

"Psst. Bella!"

"Isabella!"

I shot up in the bed, instantly crying out. Fuck, that hurt!

"Oh, I'm so sorry Bella!" Makenna cried, rubbing my back as I willed my tears to remain at bay.

I really didn't want to cry in front of her. Again. Remembering last night only had my face bright red, causing me to dig my face deeper into my pillow. How was I supposed to look her in the eyes this morning?

"I know it hurts," She said, still running her fingers over my bare back, "But you must get up now. We have a lot to do before we need to meet the men later."

I moved my face so that I was looking at Makenna and saw nothing but sadness in her eyes. It looked like she was trying hard not to cry. And when did I lose my clothes? Looking down I saw that my bottom half was covered by a sheet, but my clothes were most definitely gone. I clutched the sheet and moved it upwards to my breasts, hoping to cover them up somewhat. Sure, it was nothing she hadn't seen before, but this time was different... Wasn't it?

"There's no time for modesty, Bella," Makenna scolded, "I need to help you bathe and get you ready."

"Help me bathe?" I asked, my voice coming out stuffy.

"Yes," She insisted, "Your Master insisted that you would need help this morning. And from the looks of you, you will need all of my help. He did not go easy on you last night that is for sure."

I looked to where her eyes were and gasped. There was redness all over my bottom, with the occasional light bruise. And it hadn't even been twenty-four hours yet! Those bruises were just going to get darker and darker throughout the day. I wanted to really get a good look at the damage, but I didn't want to do so in front of one of the people I considered a friend.

"Do you think you can give me a few moments to myself, please?" I asked Makenna.

Her eyes met mine once more and it pained me to see the sadness there. This was not her burden to carry. There was no reason she should be sad because of me and my mistakes.

"I can't," She replied softly, "I'm under strict orders to help you in everything."

In other words, she was not to leave this room without me. And if Makenna was given a direct order, she was not going to disobey it, and I didn't want her to. Last thing I would ever want would be for her to be in the position I'm in right now. I wouldn't wish this kind of pain, even on my worst enemy.

Instead, I sighed and dropped the thin sheet that was covering me, trying to figure out the best way to get out of the bed with the least amount of pain as possible. My whole body ached as if I had the flu or had done an extreme workout the night before. Makenna grabbed my hand and helped me sit up, but moving even the slightest hurt like a bitch.

"I feel like I've run a fucking marathon." I groused.

By now she had somehow managed to tug me to my feet, my body protesting the whole way.

"You're up," She said smiling slightly, "And I think a hot shower will feel good on your muscles."

Grasping my hand in hers she led me to the bathroom in the bedroom, only leaving my side once we were in so she could get the water started. While her back was turned to the tub I examined myself in the mirror. I turned around slightly to view the area that got the most damage and was surprised by just how little bruising there was! The backs of my legs, over my bottom and up to my thighs were still very red, but there were only a couple of bruises here and there, and they were faint. With how I was feeling through the night last night I could have sworn that I would be black and blue all over! But… There was hardly anything there!

"I'm afraid that things are only going to get worse for you today before they get better." Makenna said from beside me.

"I don't see how things can get any worse than this," I replied, "Unless he takes the belt to me again."

"It is not my place to say, Bella," Makenna said sadly as she helped me into the shower, "But, you will soon find out. And I want to make you as comfortable as I can beforehand."

"Because that's not ominous." I muttered.

Makenna just chuckled sadly, stripping out of her dress. Shocked that she was taking off her clothes I gasped and quickly faced the front.

"I do not mean to offend," She said softly, shedding her underwear, "But you need help, and this is easier than having the both of us move in awkward directions."

I could feel the blood pooling in my face, and knew that I was bright red. But, due to how I was brought into this world, there wasn't a piece of me she hasn't seen, and thanks to me and my big, lying mouth, she had also seen me at my worst.

"I understand." I whispered, letting the water run down my face.

I could feel her step in behind me, placing her hand lightly on my shoulder to let me know how close she was.

"Switch positions with me and stand under the water so I can wash your hair." She instructed.

As her fingers rand through my hair, her nails scratching at my scalp to get it all clean, I couldn't help but compare this experience to the last time someone bathed me. Even though I was pretty much out of it I still remembered the way his fingers felt as he washed away the dirt and grime from the isolation room. How his fingers were gentle, even when his palm on my backside wasn't. Thinking about Jasper's hands on me caused me to break out in the goose bumps, and I wasn't sure if it was in fear or something else. I didn't want to even consider the thought that it might be something else though. That was impossible. And only something you would see on Law and Order or read in bad, trashy romance novels.

Luckily, Makenna worked fast and I was clean before I knew it. She was also right that the hot water did relax me a lot and my body was less stiff and sore now. I could almost move in all directions again without hurting.

When we returned back to the room I saw another simple dress laying on the bed. It hadn't been there before so I knew someone came in and set it there for when we were done. I picked up the dress, looking around for the panties, but didn't see any. That could only mean that I wasn't supposed to wear any. I grit my teeth and quickly donned the dress, feeling more comfortable with something covering me. I turned around to see Makenna had gotten dressed as well.

"I need to do your hair, as well," She said, "But I'm afraid it's going to hurt for you to sit."

Deciding not to argue and make her job all the harder, I gingerly sat on the stool in front of the mirror, cringing at my bottom came to rest. It hurt, but after the shower it wasn't too terribly bad. Making eye contact in the mirror, I gave Makenna a small smile.

"Thank you for helping me, Makenna." I said softly.

"It was my pleasure, Bella. That's what friends are for, yes?"

I smiled wider at my new friend, "Yes." I agreed.

Makenna worked on my hair in silence the rest of the time, only speaking to offer her apologies as I stood up from the chair. Then she grabbed my hand and led me out of the bedroom and to Master's study. She glanced at me once as we stood outside the closed door, silently asking me to knock. I let my knuckles tap against the oak a couple of times before a muffled 'come in' was heard.

The sight that greeted us was almost comical. Jasper was sitting in his chair with Bal leaning over him, yelling at Jasper some directions that made no sense to me what so ever. Jasper's brows were scrunched together in deep concentration, his eyes completely focused on the screen in front of him. Bal on the other hand, his eyes were crinkled at the corners, a smile tugging on his lips, like he was trying not to out right laugh. His eyes moved up as Makenna and I fully entered the room.

"Ah, there you girls are. I was afraid you might have had more fun in the shower than we had anticipated." Bal said, looking back down at the screen.

"Not there! O dios mio. Bueno no estás presente mucho de un coño en la vida real." He said clapping Jasper on the back, chuckling heartily.

"Your words, mi amigo, they hurt." Jasper said, sitting back in his chair in defeat.

"Nah, you're just not cut out for the fantasy world, that's all." Bal said moving towards us.

I looked down, not wanting to look at Jasper any longer now that his concentration wasn't on whatever he was just doing. I was still pissed, and hurt... And plain furious with him.

"Now that the girls are here though, why don't we get out of here for a little while? Our work is done for now, and we deserve a break." Bal said.

I didn't look up to see what Jasper thought of that idea, but his next words pretty much summed it up.

"And you feel like my pet is deserving to leave the house?" He asked, sounding somewhat amused.

I clenched my hands in anger. The last time I left this god-forsaken place was when he took me to the Auction. And the time before that was when I was running for my life and ended up deathly ill when I was dragged back. To actually leave, to do something normal, would be a nice change.

"Deserving?" Bal asked, "Hell no. But do I think she learned her lesson? Si, very much."

"And what makes you think that she has learned her lesson?" Jasper asked, as if "she" wasn't standing right here in the room.

"Porque I have never seen you discipline a slave so hard in my life," Bal explained with a hearty chuckle, "I bet you ten thousand pesos that her ass is a nice red color, littered with some pretty bruises the shape of your fingers."

"Ten thousand pesos?" Jasper asked, laughing hard, "What use do I have for your money? No. I know what her ass will look like, and I don't believe I was as hard on her as you say."

This time it was Bal's turn to laugh and my curiosity got the best of me and I just had to look up to watch this exchange. No matter how mortifying it was to me.

"Fine, you may not need my money, so how about lunch will be on me if I am right, and it will be on you if you are right." Bal said sticking out his hand to Jasper for a shake.

Jasper just shook his head, a slight curve to his lips in a smile, "Deal."

"Isabella, come here." Jasper commanded, catching my eyes with his.

He didn't look mad, but he didn't look too happy with me either. Knowing that arguing would get me nowhere I walked over to him, until I was right by his side.

"Turn around, pet." He demanded.

Biting my lip I did as instructed and faced the wall, not wanting to make eye contact with Makenna, who moved to stand to my left. I could feel Jasper's fingers on my the back of my knees as he lifted my dress to expose my bottom. The only sound that gave anything away was Bal's snort and Jasper's amused, "huh".

"Well, I guess you were right, old friend," Jasper said as he moved my dress back down to cover me, "I didn't think I punished her all that severely. I thought her ass would have toughened up some seeing as how she always seems to be bent over my knee."

"It's all well," Balthazar said clapping Jasper on the shoulder as he stood up, "But you agree that she learned her lesson from that spanking, si?"

Jasper looked back to me once before answering, "Yes, I think she has learned not to lie to me again."

Gesturing for Makenna and I to lead the way, we went downstairs and waited in the entry way for the guys to come and get us. Without saying a word, Makenna grabbed my hand in hers and squeezed gently, giving me a reassuring smile.

"I am excited to have lunch with you," She said, "Maybe our Masters will let us talk while they are talking."

Not wanting to say anything that might hurt her feelings, I just smiled back the best I could and nodded my head. I had to keep reminding myself that we weren't brought up in the same world. That we had each seen our own evils, and hers just happened to be a million times worse than anything I had ever had to witness. It wasn't her fault. And yet, I had a fluttering sensation in my lower abdomen that made me think that she wasn't the only one excited about getting out of this house.

The guys came back for us after a couple of minutes, and led us out to the black car sitting in the driveway. Of course it was black, with tinted windows so nobody could see inside. Who else, besides drug dealers and mafia leaders would drive such a car? Sitting down in the plush seats proved to be more difficult than I first thought, but I managed to do so without making a sound. Though, judging from my Masters smirk, the expression on my face probably gave me away.

"So, where are we going, Bal?" Jasper asked as the driver pulled away from the house.

"Ah, mi favorito," Bal said rubbing his hands together, "Las Mananitas!"

Jasper laughed and nodded his head, "Perhaps next time you visit we will come again and send the girls to use the spa there."

As Bal and Jasper began to talk about the different places they liked to dine at around here, I tuned them out, instead looking out the window at all the desert passing us by. Bal reached into his pocket and handed Makenna a hand-held device that made her eyes light up as she fiddled with it, a quiet "thank you Master" uttered. Makenna looked up to me and caught my eye, patting the seat next to her. I looked to Jasper to see if he would mind, and he smiled slightly, nodding his head that I could investigate what she had in her hands. It was bound to be better than just sitting here right?

I moved as gently as I could and gingerly sat down beside Makenna and giggled at what I saw. Who knew. She liked Hangman. The rest of the ride was spent with the men talking or watching Makenna and I play Hangman against one another. Before I knew it we were at what looked to be a Hotel, a valet man opening the door for us.

Makenna handed back the game to Bal before he stepped out of the car. Seeing Jasper's hand I quickly moved to grab it, stepping out of the car. I guess the guys didn't want even the Valet boy to touch us because Bal helped Makenna out of the car as well. Following Makenna's lead and keeping my eyes to the ground, I walked beside Jasper not saying a word, but trying to catch glimpses of everything out of the corners of my eyes. There was just so much to take in. I had never been to Mexico before and the last time I was out, we were in another building that was infested with slaves and "Masters". So, outside with all the other "normal" people, was something that I had yet to experience.

"Scream or make any kind of scene here, and I swear that after I am finished with you, you will wish that you had stayed back at the house. I will make the Isolation Room look like child's play." Jasper whispered harshly into my ear.

I was in such shock that I didn't even realize I had stopped walking until Jasper tugged on my hand, pulling me forward once more. Gulping nervously, I muttered a low, "Yes Master." And continued to follow.

There was no way in hell I was going to try and escape. I have seen first hand what Jasper and his men are capable of. Even if I did manage to get away, they would find me. I would never be truly free from him.

The hotel was like no hotel that I had ever seen before. Everything was written in Spanish with the occasional sentence translated in English below it, for the tourists I presumed, but the Hotel itself was massive and ritzy looking. Not even bothering with the pretense of not looking around, I gaped openly at everything I saw. It was nothing like Jasper's home.

Bal chuckled and Jasper just continued to tug on my hand as they led the way to the restaurant. The hostess greeted Balthazar by name, not even glancing at Makenna as she led us to his "usual seat." Makenna and I climbed in the booth first, followed by the guys, sitting by the aisle. I had to wonder if that's how they normally sat or if it was because they feared I would try and escape.

"Did you eat at places as fancy as this back home, Isabella?" Bal asked me, shocking me that he would even mention the home I used to have.

"N-No, Sir." I muttered, still in shock and slight confusion that he was actually talking to me.

Thinking about home though brought on a flood of emotions I wasn't prepared for though, and it took all I had in me not to burst into tears. I could think about it later. Right now, I just needed to make it through this dinner.

Luckily I was saved by our server coming to the table, asking for orders. It shouldn't have surprised me that I wasn't even given a menu. Instead Jasper ordered for the both of us, as Bal did the same for him and Makenna. Balthazar must have been an important man here though, because our food was out within fifteen minutes and our drinks never had a chance to become empty. It was service at its finest, that's for sure. The rest of the dinner went by smoothly, with talk here and there of their families and things that didn't relate to their line of work. Makenna and I also made small talk, once in a while answering a question that was directed at us. I was almost sad to leave, but cheered up knowing that Makenna would still be visiting with us for a couple more days.

Leaving the restaurant, Jasper pulled me into his side, "You were very well behaved, pet," He whispered as we waited on the valet to come back for the car, "If you didn't still have a punishment to come I would have rewarded you for your behavior back there."

"Punishment?" I gasped, looking up at him, "But you already gave me my punishment!" I whisper-yelled back.

To my surprise Jasper laughed, "Oh no. You still have one more thing headed your way."

The ride back to Jasper's lair was tense. Or maybe it was just me that was tense. Instead of playing Hangman back, Jasper kept me by his side, his fingers once again, finding their way to my hair. As Jasper opened the door for us, we were met with Charlotte.

"We'll take some tea in the sitting area." Jasper told her as he began walking that way.

Makenna held my hand as we followed after him and Bal, only stopping short when I saw my stool. The stool wasn't what surprised me though. It was what was on the stool that kept my feet grounded to where they were.

"Lift your dress and sit, Isabella." Jasper commanded.

"What is that?" I asked, already knowing the answer, but praying that I was somehow wrong.

"Sandpaper."


End file.
